Light of the Leaf
by ignorethisiwas12
Summary: HIATUS. It has been four years since the defeat of Madara Uchiha. After beating Madara, Naruto left the Leaf to pursue the last Uchiha. But now he has returned, a changed man. Will the village, and the people he left behind, still be the same?
1. The Return

**Title:** Light of the Leaf**  
><strong>**Author: **TinaBanina96**  
><strong>**Summary:** It has been four years since the defeat of Madara Uchiha. After beating Madara, Naruto left the Leaf to pursue the last Uchiha. But now he has returned, a changed man. Will the village, and the people he left behind, still be the same?

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> **Welcome to my first multi-chapter fanfiction! Thank you for reading :). A few quick notes:  
>1. I don't own Naruto…yet…<br>2. Please review. It is amazingly helpful to writers  
>3. Pairings are quite likely to change during this story, so if you don't like what you see, there is hope!<br>On to the story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One – The Return<strong>

_I'm coming home  
>I'm coming home<br>Tell the world  
>I'm coming home<br>_- **Skylar Grey**

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><p>The tall blond man looked up at the gates. How long had it been since he had last seen them?<p>

"Too long." he muttered to himself, as he took cautious steps towards the huge green gates. They were taller than he remembered. The builders after the Pain invasion must have done a good job.

Slowly he walked forward. He lifted his hand up to shade his eyes. The sun was glaring down at him, causing small drops of sweat to roll down his forehead. He grimaced. He couldn't wait to get inside. Somewhere with air conditioning would be perfect.

As usual, the gates were open, but the men guarding them were new to him. He approached them, picking up speed until reaching a sudden stop in front of the guard stand.

There were two shinobi there. The one on the left was mid 30's, with brown hair cut very short. He was tanned. In contrast, his partner looked relatively young, no older than 26. He had red hair that flopped lazily over his right eye, and quite pale skin.

The men at the stand greeted him with looks of curiosity. He smiled. He must have looked like quite the sight. He had been travelling non-stop on foot for days, with no time to clean himself up.

He rummaged inside the backpack he was carrying. His hands closed around a scroll, and he pulled it out. Unrolling it, he showed the two guards.

The one on the left raised an eyebrow. The one on the right smirked.

"Nice try kid, but that is the worst fake I have ever seen. You know we're ninjas right? We can totally break genjutsu."

The redhead brought his hands up into a seal. He attempted to break the genjutsu on the scroll. He failed. Puzzled, he turned to his older companion.

"Atsuo, can you try please? It must be a very complicated jutsu."

The older ninja nodded and did the same as his partner had. Again, nothing happened. He furrowed his eyebrows and tried again. Still nothing.

Apprehensively, he performed a series of quick hand seals. He reached out to touch the scroll, flowing chakra into it. A few words appeared. He read them quickly, than raised both eyebrows in surprise. He looked into the face of the blond ninja, who sighed in impatience.

His partner, after reading the scroll, turned to the blond, shocked.

"You have got to be kidding me. This is a joke right?"

Atsuo continued to look at the blond.

"No Arata, this is the real deal. We're sorry to have held you up sir."

With a flick of his wrist, the blond re-rolled the scroll. Placing it back into his back pack, he flashed the guards a quick smile.

"Thanks guys. Now tell me, is Ichiraku's Ramen still in the same place it was four years ago?"

Atsuo stood up and bowed, Arata did the same. Straightening up, Arata turned towards the blond.

"Yes, of course it is."

"Awesome!" said the blond, his face breaking out into his trademark grin. He turned and started to head quickly into the village beyond the gates. He'd barely started moving when he heard the older ninja's voice.

"Wait a second!"

He turned to face Atsuo, The man was grinning. Gesturing towards the village, he spoke:

"Welcome home Mr. Uzumaki."

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><p>Sakura looked out the window of the Konoha Hospital. It was another sweltering summer day, and she was stuck inside. Not that she was complaining.<p>

Today was a good day for her to be working. Work helped her forget the fact that today was the day when, four years ago, he had left. Unfortunately, by remembering that she worked to forget, she had remembered what she was trying to forget.

Great, she thought. Now I'm confusing myself. She sat down on the bed she had just made. She hadn't had a break in a while, and it was the first time she had sat down all day.

Sighing, she looked out the window again. There was no point denying it. Sakura would have much rather been outside, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine like everyone else, then stuck in the stuffy hospital.

To tell the truth, there was hardly anyone in the hospital at the moment. With the weather so nice, there were no flu or cold cases. The ninja that were currently there were all recovering nicely. There hadn't been a lot of dangerous missions lately. In some ways, Sakura was grateful for this. It meant not a lot of shinobi were getting seriously hurt. On the other hand, it was less work for the medic ninjas, and work was something Sakura definitely needed.

Sakura stood up reluctantly. She had to continue her rounds. She walked towards the door and exited the room. Turning left, Sakura headed down the corridor and immediately bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" she said, embarrassed. Looking up, she saw Shizune.

The Hokage's assistant smiled.

"It's alright. I've been looking for you Sakura."

Sakura tilted her head to the left.

"Really? Is something the matter?"

Shizune bit her bottom lip, and then opened her mouth to speak. She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Oh no, no, nothing's wrong! Lady Tsunade just wishes to see you. She sent me to tell you that your dismissed from work for the rest of the day, and you are to go straight to her office at 3pm."

Sakura nodded.

"Thanks Shizune. See you later!"

"You're welcome Sakura. Remember, um, don't be late, Lady Tsunade will be waiting."

Shizune's smile faltered for just a second, before she continued down the corridor. Sakura kept walking and turned right. Was it just her imagination, or had Shizune seemed a little… apprehensive?

Sakura exited the hospital, and pushed the thought out of her mind. She was just being paranoid.

The sun beamed down on Sakura. Phew, she was hot. She decided she would go home and get a hat. She had time. Her meeting with the Hokage wasn't for another 2 hours.

Sakura's stomach growled. Gosh, she was starving. I guess that's what I get for skipping breakfast and lunch, she thought to herself as she walked.

She passed by a few food stands. The aroma wafted up her nose, and made its way down. Her stomach gurgled in protest as she ignored the stands.

Sakura paused. What was that place her old team had gone to all the time? Achiriku's? Icharaki's?

Ichiraku's. That was it.

Suddenly, Sakura craved ramen. Well, I am hungry, she thought. It was only appropriate that she had Ichiraku's ramen today. After all, it was _his_ day.

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><p>Sunshine. It was one of Hinata's favourite things.<p>

She was drawn outside on days like this. The world was brighter place whenever the sun shone, and that made her feel… good.

She leaned back on her hands and let the rays warm her face. A small smile danced on her lips as she closed her eyes.

How she loved the summer. Summer was picnics, day trips and longer training hours. On summer days, Hinata could sit in the soft grass of the training ground for hours, soaking in the light.

A shadow fell over her face. Startled, Hinata opened her eyes, to see a man standing above her.

"Kiba!" she exclaimed, blushing slightly and scrambling to sit up straight.

The Inuzuka laughed and sat down next to her.

"Hey Hinata. Slacking off, are we?" he asked, amused at her embarrassment. It was cute, the way she went red when he surprised her.

Hinata smiled at him. He knew perfectly well that she'd been training since dawn.

Kiba grinned and grabbed Hinata's hand. She let him drag her up.

When they were both upright, Kiba pulled her into a bear hug, and kissed her on the nose.

"It's 1pm Hinata. You're working too hard! We're getting lunch!"

Hinata giggled, and slapped him gently on the arm. He growled softly and let her go. Hinata linked her slim arm through his, and they set off.

They'd been dating for three years, but Kiba still couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was dreaming. Every moment he spent with her felt slightly surreal, like it couldn't possibly be true.

He'd watched his shy, stuttering team mate grow, and become the beautiful person she was today. She was still shy, but dramatically less than she had been before. She still stuttered, but only when she was really, really flustered. She had changed a lot, gained a lot more confidence over the past few years. Kiba likes to think that it was his influence that had done it.

She was his now. It had taken years, but finally she was his.

"Kiba?" asked Hinata. She was looking at him, slightly bemused. Kiba realised he'd been staring at her for the past five minutes.

"Sorry," he grinned "I was just so distracted by this amazing, beautiful, confident girl that seems to be attached to me."

Hinata laughed. He loved it when she laughed. It was a gentle noise, but full of joy. Out of all the sounds in the world, it was his favourite.

The two had reached the main streets of Konoha. Everyone seemed to be out today, enjoying the weather. The village was bustling.

Kiba stopped and spun Hinata around to face him.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you Hinata?" he asked, knowing full well that he had.

Hinata had just opened her mouth to answer when she froze. In a second, Hinata's face had gone from clearly happy, to shocked. Her body visible tensed. Kiba was worried.

"Hinata? Hinata!" he said, gently grabbing her shoulders. He shook her lightly, and she snapped out of it.

"Hinata? What just happened? Are you ok?" asked Kiba anxiously.

I-I'm fine Kiba. I j-jus thought I s-saw – N-never mind. It's n-nothing." She smiled weakly., eyes wandering.

She was stuttering again. Kiba frowned. Something had happened. What had she seen?

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><p>She'd been perfectly content, listening to Kiba tell her how much he loved her. She'd looked at him, than out of the corner of her she had seen him.<p>

A tall man, with bright blond, spiky hair. The clothes were no longer orange, and she'd only caught a glimpse of his face, but she was sure.

The bright blue eyes. The whisker marked cheeks. It was Naruto.

She would have recognised him anywhere.

But, but… It simply wasn't possible. Naruto had left Konoha 4 years ago. He had cut off all contact. None of them, bar the Hokage, had heard from him in years.

It all came rushing back. The feelings Hinata had managed to hold in had broken through her mental barriers, flooding her mind with memories, emotions. Love, despair, respect. It confused her to no end. She loved Kiba, not Naruto. Not the boy who had left them all behind. Who had never acknowledged her feelings.

Damn it. No, this couldn't be happening. Naruto was not back. She'd been imagining things. There was no possible way for Naruto Uzumaki to be back in the Leaf Village.

"Hinata? Hinata!"

She felt hands grasp her shoulders, and she was literally shaken out of her trance.

Kiba was looking at her, concern plastered all over his face. A small amount of relief showed when she looked at him properly.

"Hinata? What just happened? Are you ok?" He asked, clearly worried.

"I-I'm fine Kiba. I j-jus thought I s-saw – N-never mind. It's n-nothing." She shot him a smile. Her eyes drifted on their own accord, searching for another glimpse of… whatever that had been.

She had to focus. She willed her eyes to stop moving. Shakily, she looked at Kiba. He was frowning.

She smiled, a stronger one this time. She took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. L-lets go."

He didn't seem to believe she was ok. Hinata tip-toed and kissed him lightly. It seemed to reassure him a little, but he was still uneasy. He slung his arm over her shoulder and she snuggled into him. He kissed the top of her head. She sighed.

It didn't matter whether she had seen what she thought she saw. He simply didn't matter anymore.

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><p><strong>There we go! Chapter 1 done. Please R &amp; R. Constructive criticism welcome, positive feedback is loved.<strong>


	2. Memories

**AN:** **Chapter 2 is now up! I don't own Naruto. It is the property of Mr. Kishimoto. Also, any long section in italics is a flashback. It should be pretty obvious. Peace out :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two – Memories<strong>

_I can still see them__  
>But not in my mind<br>It's been so long  
><em>_ All my memories lie _**_  
><em>- Charlie Day**

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><p>"Another order of ramen!" exclaimed the bright young man. Naruto had been sitting at Ichiraku's for a long time. The bowls were starting to pile in front of him.<p>

Teuchi laughed.

"Glad to see you've still got that great appetite!"

His daughter, Ayame, brought another bowl of ramen over. Naruto thanked her and picked up his chopsticks. He slurped the food down, while the father-daughter team watched in amusement.

He had been gone a long time. They had missed him.

Finishing his ramen, Naruto exhaled loudly and slammed the now-empty bowl onto the counter. He beamed at Teuchi and Ayame.

"Have you had enough now?" joked Ayame.

"Shush Ayame, don't hurry him." Teuchi smiled and put down the ladle he was holding.

"It's good having our best customer here again! We were worried you would stay away from the Leaf Village forever. What brought you back?"

The man had said this in a light hearted, jovial tone. He was surprised when Naruto tensed up. Was that… regret in his eyes?

As quick as Naruto's reaction to the question had been, his reaction to the reaction was faster. In an instant he was smiling widely again. He chuckled.

"t was your ramen Teuchi! Ichiraku's was calling me, and I had no choice but to listen!"

Pleased, Teuchi picked up his ladle and filled another bowl with ramen. He handed the bowl to Ayame, who placed it down in front of Naruto. Naruto looked at Teuchi. The older man pointed at the ramen.

"It's on the house. Go on, eat up."

Naruto grinned and started to eat. Just before he fug in though, he paused.

"Thank you, Ayame, Teuchi. You guys have always been good to me." he said, voice surprisingly gentle.

Gently, Ayame patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"You're welcome Naruto. It's been a pleasure."

Naruto nodded slightly, and began to eat.

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><p>Walking along the familiar streets, Sakura reminisced. Her memories drew her back to the days when she was just starting out as a genin. She had been so, well, happy back then. But she had also been naïve.<p>

During those days, everything was so simple. Team 7 had been together in everything. It may not have seemed so sometimes, but they had been incredibly close.

But then Sasuke had to go and wreck everything.

Sakura clenched her fists. She had been so sure he would come back. Now, she knew better. He had betrayed them all, betrayed his village.

So much had happened after that bastard left. The Akatsuki, the Invasion of Pain and the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. These events had marred Konoha forever, leaving it a much grimmer place than before.

Or at least, that's what it seemed like for Sakura. Maybe Konoha hadn't changed. Maybe she'd been the one who'd changed.

She laughed bitterly. Of course she had. She hadn't been the same after Sasuke left. She had striven to get stronger, believing she could bring him back. It had been no use.

She had been the last person to give up on Sasuke. The only person who held on to hope after that, well, that had never given up. Even when it was clear that Sasuke would never come back, _he _had believed.

But the moment she had given up hope wasn't when Sakura had seen Konoha change. It had happened after the war. Madara Uchiha had finally been defeated, in a huge fight that scarred the landscape around it. With the insane man finally slain, his defeater had left to pursue Sasuke, and had not come back.

Yes, it had been when _he _left. That was when, through her eyes at least, Konoha had dimmed.

Breaking her train of thought, Sakura found that her feet had taken her straight to where she wanted t go. The sight of the familiar stand was comforting, the smell delicious. For the first time in a little while, Sakura grinned.

Sakura stepped inside, and took a seat at the counter. There was only one other person in there, seated down the far left of the counter.

Ignoring the other customer, she waved to Ayame. Sakura did not eat at Ichiraku's a lot, but she knew Ayame, having hung out with her a few times.

Ayame came over, wearing a perplexing look. She kept glancing over towards Sakura's left.

"Hello Sakura. I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?" asked the girl, eyes darting to the left, and then back to Sakura.

Why was everyone acting so strangely today? Was it just a vibe she was giving off or something?

Deciding to ignore the girl's anxiety, Sakura proceeded to make small talk.

"Oh, I'm fine thank you. Can I get an order of-"

"Sakura?"

Startled, Sakura turned around. She was staring into the chest of a man. Sakura swore. How did the man get so close without her noticing? How did he know her name?

Slowly, she looked up at the man's face, and gasped.

"N-naruto?" she stammered. Oh god, what the hell? He wasn't supposed to even be in the village.

The blond shinobi was taller, and not wearing his trademark orange. That explained why Sakura hadn't even given him a second thought when she came in. He was wearing rather inconspicuous clothing. Black pants and a grey tank top, and carrying a navy blue backpack.

The hair was not as wild or spiky as before, but Sakura imagined that under the dust and grime, was still the same bright yellow. His face was thinner, like he'd been eating little and moving lots. His skin was sun kissed, showing a long time spent out of doors.

All in all, he was most definitely Naruto Uzumaki.

But a different Naruto Uzumaki than the one she remembered. He was more composed. Before, it had seemed like Naruto was nothing but pent-up energy, ready to explode into action at any point. Now he carried himself like someone old beyond their years, almost a little weary.

His eyes, once full of an uncontainable joy and determination, were too sharp, too focused. Now they betrayed little emotion. The blue pools were too deep to read, but there was an odd, faraway look.

All at once, she felt herself being pulled into a hug. Sakura made no attempt to return it, or escape.

Naruto released her and held her at arms length. Sakura felt herself being studied. She couldn't move. Her body wouldn't let her.

Slowly, she watched Naruto's face break into a grin. He let her go and reached one hand up to scratch his head.

"He..he.. sorry about that Sakura." he said nervously. Sakura nodded in response.

Naruto felt a fist hit him in the face. He hadn't been hit hard enough to be knocked over, but it had hurt. A lot.

He rubbed his cheek. Sakura stood and stared at her right hand. Quick as a flash, she turned and walked away.

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><p>"What do you mean, he's back?" said the blonde kunoichi, confused at her friend's words.<p>

Sakura, still stunned, sat on Ino's couch.

"I mean, he's here, in the village, right now."

Ino looked suspicious. She raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Are you positively sure Sakura? I mean, no-ones heard from him in four years. What are the chance he'd come back now?"

"I don't know why he's back! All I know is that he hugged me, said four words to me, and then I assaulted him in the middle of Ichiraku's."

"Ichiraku's? Typical Naruto."

"Hmmm."

Sakura sat there, hugging a cushion to her chest.

Ino looked defeated. Her and Naruto hadn't been the best of buds, but even she'd felt abandoned when Naruto had left. She couldn't imagine how Sakura must have felt. He had been her teammate, and probably one of her best friends.

For Sakura it must have been like losing Sasuke all over again.

Sometimes, Ino missed Naruto. She didn't think about him very often, but there were moments when his absence just didn't feel right.

The village wasn't the same without that knucklehead. But then again, his departure had been inevitable. He was destined to go chasing after Sasuke.

Sasuke?

Ino's eyes widened. She gasped, and Sakura looked up.

"Sakura…"

"Yeah?"

"When Naruto left, do you remember what he said?"

Sakura snorted. Of course she did.

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><p><em>It was raining. Strange, considering it was the middle of summer.<em>

_The shinobi stood at the gates leading out of Konoha. He was still, not making any effort to get out of the downpour. Head bowed, he just stood._

_Sakura walked him. She was carrying an umbrella. It was yellow._

_For no apparent reason, Naruto had called her out to meet him there._

_As she approached him, he looked up with a wistful smile. Sakura noticed that he was carrying a blue backpack._

"_Naruto." _

"_Sakura. I'm glad you made it."_

_Sakura looked at the 16 year old shinobi. His face… it was…unreadable. Sakura felt cold all of a sudden._

"_What's going on Naruto?" she asked gently._

_The blond remained silent, eyes downcast. Sakura took a step closer._

"_Naruto." she repeated._

_He looked up and met her eyes. Softly, he spoke:_

"_I'm… leaving."_

_Sakura swore she had heard him wrong._

"_You're what?"_

_The boy broke eye contact. He looked down, staring intently at the puddles._

"_I'm leaving Konoha."_

_Sakura froze. A sense of déjà vu washed over her. It was happening again. She had to ask._

"_Why?"_

_Naruto raised his head. Sakura felt his gaze pass through her, like his wasn't focused on her._

"_I'm going after Sasuke. I'll bring him back."_

"_Don't do it Naruto! There's no point, he's crossed the line!"_

"_No!"_

_He said that last word forcefully, almost shouting it._

"_I will never give up on him. I made a promise to you that I would bring him back."_

_Sakura sighed, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder. He flinched away._

"_I already released you from your promise Naruto… Please, don't."_

_She pleaded with him, silently. He remained unmoved. Then, quietly, he said:_

"_I need to do this. I never break a promise. If finding him means leaving my life, my village and the people precious to me behind, than I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back."_

_He turned away from Sakura and started to walk away. After about 5 steps, he turned back and yelled something at Sakura._

"_Don't try to stop me. Don't try to find me. I don't want you to."_

_With that, the blond left through the gates of Konoha._

_Sakura remained rooted to the spot, alone. _

_Left behind again._

_As Naruto's first foot hit the ground outside Konoha, the world faded for Sakura. The colour and vibrancy leeched out, leaving only a stark grey land in its place._

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><p>How could she forget? It had been one of those influential moments that defined her life. Her decision at that moment… she always wondered whether she made the right choice.<p>

She should've tried to stop him. She should've run after him and begged him not to go.

But she didn't. She'd just let him leave

She had been the last to see him. Aside from the Hokage, he had told no one else that he was going.

She'd been the one to tell all their friends he was gone. The experience hadn't exactly been… pleasant. She'd told them everything, every word he had said to her.

Sakura shivered, remembering those words.

_I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back._

Realisation dawned. Naruto was back. But-

Sasuke wasn't.

Oh god. Now it made sense. That was why he was back. That was why he looked so different.

Shaking, she raised a hand to her mouth. It couldn't be…

Ino walked towards Sakura, and sat down next to her on the couch. She hugged the pink haired girl.

"Don't cry, please. Maybe it's not what we think. He might have another reason for coming back."

Ino didn't believe herself, do her words sounded flat. She knew that the only reason Naruto would come back alone was-

"No." said a muffled voice.

Letting go, Ino looked at Sakura. Her friend was still hugging the cushion. Actually, hugging wasn't the right word. Crushing it to death with her monstrous strength would have been more appropriate.

Sakura shook her head, face blank.

"It has to be. There's no other reason he would come back."

Dropping the now severely deformed cushion, Sakura stood up and headed for the door. Ino followed, and grabbed Sakura's shoulder. The girl spun around quickly, still wearing that mask of perfect calm .

"Don't think like that! You don't know for sure."

"No, I do. It's the only explanation. Thank you Ino, but I have to go. I have a meeting to attend to."

Wrenching her shoulder out of Ino's grasp, Sakura opened Ino's front door. She left, shutting the door behind her.

Ino sighed. That knucklehead had been back for less than an hour, and he was already stirring everything up. Sakura was upset now.

After a brief internal argument, Ino knew what she had to do. Grabbing a sunhat, Ino left her apartment, carefully locking the door behind her. Putting the hat on, she leapt up onto the rooftops of Konoha. She could see the bright pink of Sakura's hair, weaving her way though the masses. Hopefully, Sakura would be going to the Hokage.

Ino pushed the thought away from her mind. There was no time for memories, or feelings. She had to do what was needed.

First stop, the Akimichi residence.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 is done! I should have the next chapter up within a week or so, but I'm really busy right now (subject choosing for next year) so it might take a while. Please R &amp; R. Constructive criticism welcome, positive feedback is loved <strong>


	3. Reunions and Revelations

**AN:** **First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and added this story to their alerts :D ! Seeing that makes me want to write faster. Thanks for anyone who's read this far. I know it's a bit early to be doing the thank you's but eh ^^ Here's Chapter 3 (much earlier than I said it would be released!). Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three – Reunions and Revelations<strong>

_Never again will I hear you  
>Never again will I miss you<br>Never again will I fall to you  
>Never<br>_- **Kelly Clarkson**

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><p>Sakura wandered the streets of Konoha in a daze. Her head hurt too much to think. She just wanted to go home, crawl into bed and stay there forever.<p>

She knew she couldn't. It was almost 3pm, and the Shizune's tone of voice had made the meeting sound important. Sakura couldn't just skip out on Lady Tsunade.

Right, she decided. I'm going to see Lady Tsunade, then I'm going home.

The Hokage's office had been rebuilt after the Pain Invasion, but it still looked exactly the same. Tsunade had said something about nostalgia when asked why she hadn't changed the design.

Sakura stepped into the building, past Kotetsu and Izumo, who nodded. They must have known she was coming, and told to let her in without protest.

She walked into Tsunade's office. The Hokage was sitting at her desk, intently reading a scroll. She had the strangest look on her face. Concentration, mixed with… worry? Anger? Pain?

She hadn't noticed Sakura enter. Sakura coughed quietly. Startled, the Hokage looked up and immediately her face straightened out. She smiled, putting the scroll aside.

"Sakura, you're here. That's good. We're just waiting on a couple of people, then we can start the meeting."

Sakura nodded, more instinct than an actual reply. She looked towards the door.

"Lady Tsunade, may I ask what this is about?"

"Tsunade leaned back in her chair.

"You'll find out in a second. Kakashi, this must be a record. You're actually on time."

Startled, Sakura looked back towards the Hokage and saw a masked man behind her. It really was unusual for Kakashi-Sensei not to be late.

Kakshi smiled behind the mask.

"Now, now Lady Tsunade. How could I be late for something this important."

He stepped out from behind her desk, and stood next to Sakura. He nodded towards her in greeting.

"Hello Sakura. Can't say I've seen you in a while."

"It's nice to see you too, Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura turned back towards the Hokage.

"You said that two more people would be joining us. Kakashi's one. Who's the other?"

Tsunade winced. She had really been hoping she wouldn't ask that.

A voice from the door spoke.

"I guess that would be me, huh Sakura?"

Sakura spun around, to see the dishevelled blond in the doorway. He walked quietly towards them, stopping in between on the other side of Kakashi. He avoided Sakura's gaze, and Sakura avoided his. Turning to the Copy-Nin, Naruto greeted him.

"Kakashi-sensei. Long time no see."

Kakashi was surprised at the emotion he felt from seeing Naruto. It was not anger or joy. It was simply relief. He would never say, but having two of his students, one Obito's relative, and one his sensei's son, leave the village behind without saying goodbye, really hurt.

At least Naruto had come back, alive and seemingly unharmed. Kakashi was simply grateful for that fact. Not that he was going to tell Naruto.

"Naruto." he stated, turning his head back towards the Hokage. Naruto's face fell. It looked like neither of his team mates had forgiven him for leaving. Sakura had chosen to express this with a left hook to the face, and Kakashi had simply chosen impassiveness. Naruto wasn't sure which hurt more.

"Ahem." Naruto turned his head to see the Hokage watching him.

"Right. Sorry Granny Tsunade." he mumbled.

"Thank you Naruto." Tsunade sat up straight.

"As you, Kakashi and Sakura, just found out-"

Tsunade was interrupted by a snort coming from Sakura's direction. She glared at the girl, who apologised.

"Sorry Lady Tsunade. I just- Well I found out about an hour and a half ago."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows. Damn it. She'd been hoping that no one would see Naruto until she officially announced that he had returned. She noted the distance and tension between Sakura and Naruto. It seemed their earlier encounter had not gone so well.

Tsunade sighed, and continued to talk.

"Well as I was saying, Naruto Uzumaki has returned to the Leaf Village. With his arrival, comes certain news about your former… uh… team mate."

Tsunade leaned forward and steepled her fingers. She took a deep breath in as she studied the faces of the shinobi before her. Sakura was biting her lip, with an anxious look on her face. She was jumpy but didn't seem very surprised. Tsunade knew her apprentice well. Sakura was logical. She had met Naruto earlier, and had also been the last to see him go. The fact that Naruto was at the meeting, combined with her earlier meeting and Naruto's last words, must have led to the conclusion that this meeting would be about Sasuke.

Kakashi Hatake, like the experienced ninja that he was, showed no signs of surprise, aside from a slight raising of eyebrows. Naruto on the other hand, was agitated. The young blond had always been good at hiding his emotions, but those that knew him well could always tell what he was thinking.

Tsunade avoided looking directly at each shinobi before continuing.

With a grave tone, she spoke:

"It seems that Sasuke Uchiha, former shinobi of Konoha and member of Team 7, is dead."

* * *

><p>Ino stood by the wooden posts in the Third Training Ground. She'd been waiting for a while, but for once, she didn't mind. She was too agitated to care about people being late.<p>

She fixed her already perfect ponytail. They would be here soon, right?

Ino felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see Chouji. With a quick smile, she closed the distance between them and kissed him lightly.

"Chouji! Thank god you're here. Did you do it?"

The plump man smiled widely.

"I did what you said. I told Shino and Lee to spread the word. Everyone else should be here soon."

Ino smiled .

"Thanks Chouji."

Chouji sat down, and beckoned for Ino to sit next to him. She shook her head.

"In a second. I want everyone else to get here."

Chouji could feel Ino's anxiety. The blonde was fiddling with her hair, tightening and re-tying her ponytail.

"Ino, are you ok?" he asked, concerned about her behaviour.

"I'm fine. Just impatient, that's all!" Ino lied with a smile. She was worried. Normally, Ino loved to be the first to hear any piece of gossip. But this time, she really didn't want to be the one telling everybody else the news.

"Ok, if you say so." Chouji knew she was lying, but he'd learned not to push her. If Ino didn't want to say why she was so flustered, then he would just wait. Chouji settled into the grass, and got out a bag of chips. He may as well snack, if he was going to have to wait.

The next to arrive were Neji and Tenten. The newly-engaged couple had arrived arm in arm, Tenten looking slightly angry.

"Can you believe him?" she asked Ino, referring to her fiancé. "Shino, of all people, comes up to us while we're training and says we need to come to meet here. Neji, however, says that he'd rather train, so we'd be another hour!"

"I did not say I would rather train. I said that I would like to finish my training first." Neji protested.

"You trained for 6 hours before lunch. You needed a break!" rebutted Tenten. Ino could sense that they'd been arguing about this all the way to the Third Training Ground.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"Well after you threatened me with kunai, I decided to cut training short. Are you happy?"

Tenten kissed her fiancé on the nose and grinned.

"Yes, very."

Neji smirked. It seemed their argument was over. He turned to Ino and Chouji and nodded in greeting, before sitting down. Tenten followed his example, and looked up at Ino.

"What's this about? Shino said it was really important."

Ino opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the arrival of Shino and Sai. The quiet bug ninja sat down without a word, and nodded, like Neji.

"Hello." said Sai. "It is nice to see you."

The artist smiled and settled down next to Shino. Ino watched the two. Shino was the same as ever, if maybe a little more open. He had ditched the hood, and was back to just a high collared jacket. Sai had improved in leaps and bounds since they had first met him. He still had a tendency to say inappropriate things, but he was much better at expressing emotion now.

Shino and Sai had struck up a strange, but functioning friendship. Neither were the most socially-conscious person in the world, and neither seemed to mind the other's little quirks. It was kind of cute, in Ino's eyes.

"Sai, Shino. Glad you could make it."

Shino acknowledged her greeting, then looked towards Chouij.

"I have done as you asked. I see that those I informed are already here."

Chouji grinned at the bug-ninja.

"Thanks Shino!"

For a few moments after that, there was silence. Until of course, Lee arrived, dragging Hinata and Kiba behind him.

"Good afternoon everyone! What a brilliant day for a meeting of Konoha's most youthful shinobi! I am here as you asked Chouji, and I have done my duty! The other person should be here soon, he is just a little behind. "

Chouji thanked Lee, who sat down between Sai and Neji with a big smile.

"It was no problem my friend. It would have been most rude to deny your request."

Kiba sat down next to Shino, and Hinata next to him. He draped an arm over her shoulders. Turning to Ino, who was the only one still standing, he spoke.

"What's this all about? Lee came and literally dragged us out of a café where we were eating lunch."

Ino sighed. Lee must have been a bit too enthusiastic about the task Chouji gave him.

"Sorry Kiba, Hinata."

The shy girl shook her head.

"It's fine Ino. Lee did say it was very important. Though, I would like to know why."

Ino looked around.

"Well everyone's here-"

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to Lee.

"Sakura is not here! Where is my beautiful cherry blossom of spring?"

"She's at a meeting. Besides, she doesn't need to be here. She already knows."

"Knows what?" asked Kiba.

Ino started again.

"Well everyone's here so-"

"Um, Ino?"

This time, it was Chouji.

"Ino, Shikamaru's not here yet."

At the mention of his name, everyone tensed and looked at Ino. Her eyes were narrowed.

* * *

><p>The room was silent. Tsunade waited for Sakura and Kakashi to process the revelation.<p>

"Of course." said Sakura quietly. She turned to Naruto.

"That's why… That's why you came back."

Naruto nodded slowly, eyes cast down, refusing to make eye contact.

"Did you kill him?" It was Kakashi, voice cold, contained.

Naruto didn't answer.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Look at me."

Hesitantly, he looked up. Kakashi locked eyes with him.

"Naruto, did you kill Sasuke?"

Naruto swallowed, and shook his head.

"No… No I didn't kill him. But I might as well have."

"What do you mean?" asked Kakashi, still icy.

Naruto was still, but he began to speak.

"Four years. It took me four years to find him. It was a few weeks ago. I had caught up, and we were fighting. It was one of Orochimaru's old bases."

Tsunade hissed. She would never forgive that snake bastard.

"We had been fighting for a long time. We were both exhausted, weakened. It was nearing the end. Or I thought it was."

Naruto stopped, and looked towards Tsunade. The Hokage nodded for him to continue.

"It was down to the wire. I didn't want to kill him, but he wanted to kill me. He tried to use Ametarasu on me, and he missed. The beams… the beams caught fire and started to burn. I threw a Mini-Rasenshuriken at him, and it hit, but only his leg. It knocked him over. I ran towards him… I…I needed to get him outside. He tried to use Ametarasu again, but he must have been out of chakra because it didn't work."

Naruto winced. Sakura and Kakashi watched him intently.

"Our jutsu, they were tearing the place apart. The base was in already in bad shape, but now threatening to crumble on top of us. I kept yelling at him, trying to make him realise… but he wouldn't listen… so I started to approach him. I had to get him outside before the place collapsed. So I ran, but…"

He stopped again. He was shaking. Sakura approached him, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"My attack must have gone through and hit the beams behind him. They just collapsed. I cried out but he didn't notice, or he ignored me. He was too caught up in trying to attack me again. The roof was only being held up by those beams. I thought they would hold, but his jutsu had burned the wood up and mine had sliced right through them…The roof it… it collapsed. It was too late. I kept screaming at him to get out of the way, but he wouldn't."

By now, Narutos voice has dwindled down to a whisper, and he was looking at the floor again.

"The ceiling was made of stone… it fell and hit him. I saw his face. I saw his expression when he fell. I heard his neck snap."

Sakura gasped and bit back a sob. She grabbed Naruto's arm. Kakashi approached the two of them. He knew the pain of having someone so close die. He never thought…he never thought it would be one of his students. Sasuke may have been a traitor now, but once, once he had called Kakashi sensei.

"I couldn't save him. I couldn't save my best friend…"

Nothing moved, save for a tear, which fell from Naruto's face to the floor. He had failed Sasuke, failed to bring him back. Now he was gone forever. Kakashi placed a hand on his other shoulder, and his other hand on Sakura's shoulder. The three stood there.

Tsunade spoke, not wanting to interrupt the team.

"Naruto… how did you survive? If the roof collapsed, why are you still here?"

Not looking up, Naruto spoke.

"The roof fell, but I wasn't hit by anything as big as the piece that got Sasuke. was badly injured and knocked out, but the Kyuubi must have healed me or something. When I came too, I was under rubble, but I had no damage from the roof actually falling. I guess I just got lucky. But Sasuke… Sasuke didn't."

He spat out the last sentence. It was full of guilt and anger. Sakura hugged him gently.

"It-it's not your fault Naruto…"

"Thank you, Sakura." His voice was quiet, disbelieving.

"Are you sure he's dead?" asked Tsunade. It was an insensitive question, but she needed to ask it. Naruto nodded.

"After I woke up, the first thing I did was to check on Sasuke. Where he'd been… it was a pile of stone and wood. I dug through it, calling his name. He didn't answer. Eventually, I got to the bottom, and he was there. His neck was broken. I took him, and I buried him in the woods nearby. I.. I couldn't bring him back."

The blond looked up at Sakura, nothing but pain on his face.

"I'm… I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it. The fate of Sasuke Uchiha. I found this Chapter hard to write, and I'm really sorry about Naruto's recount. There was way too many ellipses. Again, I found that incredibly difficult 0.o Please R &amp; R. Constructive criticism welcome, positive feedback is loved. <strong>


	4. Many a Reaction

**AN:** **Ah! It took me ages to write this! Sorry for the wait guys! This chapter is not my best. It's a bit of a mess really. I guess I've just had a very stressful week. A quick note, I have all the major plot points of this story figured out, and I know roughly what direction it is going, but updates may slow down from now. Please enjoy, and remember to review and give me feedback!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four – Many a Reaction<strong>

"_Just don't deny it  
>Don't try to fight this<br>And deal with it  
>And that's just part of it"<em>  
>-<strong>Apocalyptica<strong>

* * *

><p>Dark. He couldn't see a thing.<p>

Where was he?

It was cold. Dark and cold.

He was stuck. He tried to move his fingers, but he found he could only wriggle them slightly.

OK. That was progress. All he had to do was wait.

He paused.

There was nothing. He couldn't hear anything, or sense the chakra of anyone else.

He was alone. Good. That meant…

It seemed everything had worked out after all.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Tsunade felt it settle on her shoulders, a blanket of grief and misery shared by the three other people in the room.<p>

Silently, she stood and left the room. It felt… wrong being there with the three of them.

She closed the door behind her, leaving the remains of Team 7 to their grief. Walking past, she instructed Kotetsu and Izumo not to let anyone else in.

"May we ask why, Lady Tsunade?" asked Kotetsu.

Tsunade shook her head. The pair shrugged and remained behind as she walked out of the building.

Oh god. Tsunade realised something. It had been hard enough seeing Sakura and Kakashi take the news, but now, because she was the Hokage, she was going to have to inform the rest of Konoha's shinobi. She had to tell them that the last Uchiha was dead.

Tsunade could see that the next few days would be hectic. First, there would be the public assembly to inform Konoha. Then days of deliberation over things like Sasuke's funeral and/or memorial service, what to do with the Uchiha Compound and whether to put his name on the Memorial Stone.

Then of course, she would have to send Hunter-Nins out to find Sasuke's body. She made a note to ask Naruto for more information about the location of his grave later. But first, she had to let him grieve.

* * *

><p>It was over. Sasuke was dead, and Naruto was home.<p>

There didn't need to be any more fighting. The source of all her pain and sorrow was gone.

But as she stood there, head bowed in the Hokage's Office, Sakura felt almost nothing.

As Naruto had been telling his story, she'd felt this sense of anticipation. She was shaking, overcome with sadness and shock. Although, all through, she'd known where it had been leading. It was like she'd read the book, and already knew the end.

When she'd heard him say that Sasuke was dead, all of that emotion seemed to recede. The finality of the statement, the way he'd apologised to her… he'd been so broken up about it, while she simply went through the motions.

She should have been angry he was dead. Or relieved that Naruto was back.

She could have been joyful, shocked or at least sad.

But there was nothing. There was just this… emptiness inside her, a void where some emotion was missing.

It wasn't right. Something didn't feel right about Naruto's story.

She said nothing about this. She couldn't doubt Naruto now. Not while he was so broken up and shaken.

She had to be crazy. There couldn't be something wrong with what Naruto had said. Sasuke was dead, and that was that.

So why didn't she feel something other than doubt?

Naruto, his best friend, and Kakashi-sensei, his old teacher, they were _grieving _for Sasuke. But her, the one that had claimed to love him more than anyone else?

Well, she didn't feel anything, but a nagging voice in her head telling her something was off.

Sakura looked up. The masked man had removed his hand from her shoulder. In a rare sign of affection, Kakashi-sensei stepped closer to the shaking blond boy, and hugged him.

For a moment, Naruto fell silent. He tensed up, not quite sure what was happening. But that moment was fleeting, and he began to cry. Kakashi didn't let go. It was like in that one hug, Kakashi was expressing all the attention and love that he had failed to give his sensei's son for 20 years.

Sakura looked away, feeling like she was seeing something too private. This was their moment.

Kakashi released Naruto and stepped back, unsure of what to do now. The blond was no longer shaking as bad as he had before.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." he said softly, voice full of gratitude, looking the man straight in the eye. Kakashi did not say anything in reply. His one eye showed only regret. The man had let down that mask of indifference.

"Naruto, Sakura." said Kakashi. Sakura turned back towards the pair.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura looked surprised. Naruto frowned in confusion.

"Sensei… What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one that couldn't-"

"I have everything to be sorry for." Kakashi stated, voice calm, but sorrowful.

"I failed him as a teacher. I couldn't give him the power he wanted, and I let him go down that path of revenge. I spent my time teaching him. I taught him the Chidori, all the while ignoring you Naruto, and you Sakura. I saw too much of myself in him, and wanted to guide him away from he direction he was going. But I couldn't. For that, I'm sorry."

With that, Kakashi flickered out of the room, leaving behind a guilt-stricken Naruto and an apologetic Sakura.

"It wasn't his fault…" said Naruto, shaking his head. He wasn't speaking to Sakura, merely stating his thoughts as if Kakashi was still in the room to hear them.

Hesitantly, Sakura put her hand on his arm and tugged lightly. He looked towards her, not quite focusing on her. He was still a little bit lost in his own thoughts.

"Hey… it's alright Naruto." she spoke with caution, treading lightly.

"He knows it's not his fault. But it's not yours either. We're all blaming ourselves, but in the end…"

Sakura looked down at her feet. She didn't know how Naruto would react to her next statement. She looked up to meet his eyes. The blue orbs were expectant, yet distant.

"In the end, the fault was Sasuke's own."

She took in a shaky breath. She waited for him to explode, start yelling, or break down and cry. Instead, he simply smiled.

"Yeah… I guess you're right Sakura. Um…"

The blond had composed himself, hidden his sadness behind a façade of cheer.

"It's been a while since I've been in the Village huh?"

Sakura smiled. She pushed her thoughts aside as the two walked out of the Hokage's office, looking almost content.

"Are you kidding me Naruto? It's been 4 years!" she joked, rolling her eyes.

Naruto grinned, giving a small wave to Kotetsu and Izumo as they walked past the pair. Kotetsu blinked in surprise, and Izumo rubbed his eyes like he was seeing things. Sakura, amused, realised they must not have known Naruto was back.

Sakura and Naruto walked amicably, keeping up a pleasant, if slightly generic conversation. As they walked, people would stop and look at the blond, not quite sure whether they were seeing who they thought they were seeing. It really had been a long time, and Naruto had of course ditched the orange jumpsuit that made him so conspicuous.

They walked without a direction. The two stopped when they found themselves at where it had all begun.

"He he. Guess we subconsciously led ourselves here, aye Sakura?" said Naruto, happy to see the old place.

"Looks like you're right." Sakura smiled. The Third Training Ground. She hadn't been here since doing the bell test the last time Naruto had returned to the village.

Naruto grinned, getting an idea.

"Hey Sakura, let's go do the bell test! For old time's sake?"

"Naruto, hate to burst your bubble, but we need Kakashi-sensei for that."

The blond dropped his grin. Sakura grimaced. Damn it, she shouldn't have mentioned Kakashi. Naruto smiled, more weakly this time.

"Oh, right. We could just take a look then?"

Sakura agreed, and the two shinobi walked in.

* * *

><p>The 8 shinobi gathered around Ino waited anxiously for a reaction. Ino noticed them all staring, and immediately relaxed her face.<p>

"Oh." she said in an offhand tone. "I didn't realise that he wasn't here yet."

The other 8 let out a collective sigh of relief. The fact that Chouji had mentioned Shikamaru, and Ino hadn't done anything, was a good sign.

Ino sat down next to Chouji. She couldn't believe her own boyfriend had mentioned that _bastard_. She prayed that Nara wouldn't show up.

At that moment, Shikamaru arrived. Unfortunately, the only gap in the circle the Shinobi had made was in between Ino and Hinata. Seeing the problem, Hinata shifted to her left, as did Kiba, Shino and Sai, creating a gap next to Lee. Shikamaru sat down silently.

The tension within the group rose tenfold. The atmosphere grew icy.

Finally, Ino spoke:

"Now that we're all finally here, I have something really important to tell you guys."

"How troublesome. I was in the middle of something." said Shikamaru under his breath.

Ino's head snapped towards him.

"What's that Nara? You think this isn't important enough to take some of your precious, precious time?" she said in a sickly sweet tone, glaring at him.

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

"I'm glad to see you've left that Suna slut at home today." she mentioned, in a spiteful tone. Chouji put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to placate her. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to tell Shikamaru about this meeting. But then again, Ino had said _all_ of their friends.

"Temari is on a mission today. She is not a slut." drawled Shikamaru. Troublesome. He really did not feel like arguing with his ex-girlfriend. How long would Ino hold a grudge?

"Whatever." Ino huffed.

"Anyway, what I have to tell you is… well kind of really quite important."

"Just get to the point already! You've said that like 5 times!" exclaimed Kiba. Hinata shushed him.

"Um… well…" Ino froze up. She really didn't want to be the one to tell them. Maybe she should just wait for it to be officially announced?

No. They deserved to know he was back.

"Well you see, the reason I called you here today is-"

Ino's eyes widened and her mouth dropped into an 'O'. It looked like she wouldn't have to spread the news after all.

"-walking right towards us."

9 pairs of eyes swivelled towards the direction Ino was looking, only to see Sakura and…

Naruto?

* * *

><p>Naruto had seen them, just before they saw him. All 10 of his best friends, sitting in the grass in his old favourite training ground.<p>

Restraining himself, he walked slowly towards them, Sakura lagging slightly behind. It was about time he saw all his friends again. He just didn't think they'd all be conveniently in the same place at once.

The group continued to stare at him, not saying a word, not moving an inch. Could it really be? Konoha's number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja was back?

Lee was the first to react. Immediately, he jumped up and sprinted towards Naruto. Skidding to a stop in front of him, he beamed.

"Naruto Uzumaki! You have returned! You have been gone a long time, but it is good to see you back!"

Lee posed in the trademark 'Nice- Guy' pose. The sun reflected off his flawless white teeth, almost blinding Naruto.

"I trust that you have used your years most effectively, and grown much stronger through training! You are certainly looking most healthy and youthful!"

Naruto grinned. Lee hadn't changed a bit, from his thick fuzzy eyebrows to his green spandex suit.

"Lee! It's good to see you too!"

"Naruto! We must spar together soon! I have grown much in ability, and I will beat you!"

Lee dragged a laughing Naruto back towards the group, who waited, still and anticipating.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was hard to write, and impossible to name! I'm sorry if Ino and Kakashi are a bit OOC. I just could not get into their heads! I felt really bad insulting Temari and being mean to Shikamaru (because I love them). Please R &amp; R I would love it :D<strong>


	5. Impressions and Arrangements

**AN:** **This story's had over 1000 hits… 0_o. That makes me feel quite loved, so thank you so much to anyone who's reading, this story! Please enjoy this chapter :) Again, updates may be slow, because it's a very busy time of year for me. Apologies for OOCness and general bad writing. Parts of this chapter were horrible for me to write. Please review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five – Impressions and Arrangements<strong>

_Where is the moment  
>We needed the most<em>_  
><em>_You kick up the leaves  
>And the magic is lost<br>_-**Daniel Powter**

* * *

><p>During Lee and Naruto's small encounter, Sakura had made her way quickly to the group, and settled herself between Ino and Hinata. She looked at the blond girl, who had a curious expression on her face.<p>

"Oh my gosh… So he really is back."

Sakura nodded. Ino squinted a little.

"He looks… different, don't you think? There's something weird about him. But like, a good kind of weird."

Sakura agreed, but she had a feeling what Ino had noticed would not be what she herself had.

"What do you mean?" she asked the blond girl.

"Is it just me, or is he much better looking than before? It's amazing what 4 years does to a person."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course. Typical Ino.

"Really Ino? That's what's different?"

Ino shrugged.

"What? I noticed other things too. For one thing, he ditched the orange, which is definitely a good thing in my book . He's taller, tanner and just all-round sexier. It helps that he's got this kind of vibe now… like he's hiding something. It's mysterious, like how Sas-"

Ino stopped herself, and looked at Sakura with wide eyes. Sakura ignored her.

Ino was more perceptive than Sakura had thought. She was right. Naruto was hiding something. Sakura had felt something strange ever since the meeting in the Hokage's office. She had brushed it off though, not really wanting to think about it. But Ino's words had confirmed her suspicions. Naruto was keeping something to himself.

Her train of thought was broken when Lee and Naruto arrived. The green ninja had the formerly orange ninja by the arm, and in his enthusiasm, had physically dragged Naruto back towards the group of waiting shinobi.

After depositing Naruto on the outside of the 'circle', he had noticed Sakura.

"Sakura! I can not believe I did not notice you had arrived sooner! My awareness of your beauty was hindered. Can you ever forgive me?"

Sakura sighed and gave him a weak smile.

"Yeah, sure Lee."

Naruto stood awkwardly. He could feel the eyes of his peers burn into him, evaluating him. No one had made a move towards him yet.

Chouji was the first to stand up and step forward. The kind young man enveloped Naruto in a quick hug.

"Naruto! You're back!" he exclaimed loudly, with a huge grin on his face.

Naruto relaxed.

"Ha, yeah, I guess I am."

Slowly, the other members of the group sprang to action. Standing up, they approached Naruto, the more enthusiastic ones moving faster. He was surrounded, with Chouji, Ino, Tenten, Kiba, Lee and surprisingly, Sai at the front of the pack. The others hung back. It wasn't really in their natures to go charging towards him.

Naruto was bombarded with a chorus of greetings.

"How've you been buddy? Eating right?"

"Naruto! Wow, you look good!"

"It has certainly been a long time since we have seen you."

"Hey, the knucklehead's back!"

"You are looking quite youthful my friend!"

"N-Naruto…"

"Troublesome… I was really comfortable sitting down there in the grass Naruto."

"Looks like everyone's happy to see you Naruto."

"Naruto! You're back in time for the wedding!"

Naruto looked at Tenten, who was wearing a huge smile.

"Wedding?" he asked, looking to her left hand. On it sparkled a diamond ring.

Tenten turned around, and grabbed Neji's hand, which wore a matching gold band. She pulled him forward.

"We're getting married!"

Neji rolled his eyes casually at his excited fiancé.

"It's good to see you Naruto. I trust you'll come to the wedding?"

"Wow… of course! Congratulations guys! I didn't even know you two were dating."

"A lot of things have changed since you left, Naruto Uzumaki."

Heads turned towards the quiet shinobi who had spoken. Shino's words changed the mood of the group. It turned a little more sombre. Naruto felt guilt wash over him, staining his happiness.

"Shino…"

The bug-nin smiled a small side.

"It is nice to see you remembered who I was this time around."

Naruto laughed, and the mood lifted again. Everyone was all smiles.

"Guys, we're standing in the middle of a training ground. Let's go get some ramen. On me!"

Kiba groaned.

"Typical Naruto. How bout you try something other than ramen for a change?"

Naruto looked offended.

"Jeez Kiba. Fine, you pick a place!"

Kiba turned to Hinata, who was standing right at the back of the group.

"Hinata, what was the name of that place we went to last Saturday?"

"Um… Natsuki's?"

Chouji brightened up.

"Oh that's one of ours! I'll tell dad to save us a table."

"Wait, so we aren't going to go eat now?"

The attention was back on Naruto. Awkwardly, Sakura spoke up.

"Um, Naruto? You're kind of… messy right now."

Naruto looked down at his clothes. They were covered in dust, and grime, from having been travelled in for 2 days straight. He remembered that he hadn't had a chance to clean up since returning to the village. He must've looked like quite the sight.

Sheepishly, he grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right, forgot about that. So dinner at Natsuki's tonight then?"

"I'll tell dad 7pm. Is that ok?"

This was met with approval.

"So it's settled. Everyone meet outside Natsuki's at 7pm tonight." said Sakura.

There was a flurry of nods and agreements from the gathered shinobi.

"Ok then. Well I should probably go and get cleaned up. Chouji's dad won't like it if I stink up his restaurant."

With a smile and a wave, Naruto walked away. The group of shinobi slowly started to split off until only Chouji, Ino and Sakura were left.

"I'm going to head off to talk to dad now. I'll see you later." said Chouji.

Ino kissed him quickly on the cheek before he left.

Ino looked at Sakura, and the two girls started walking back into the streets of Konoha.

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Ino.

"What do you mean?" replied Sakura.

"You know perfectly well what I mean." stated Ino. Sakura sighed. She did know exactly what Ino meant.

"Now that Naruto's back, how do you feel?"

"I don't know Ino. I don't know what I feel, and I have no idea what to do. I… I need some time to just sort everything out, you know?"

Ino nodded in understanding.

* * *

><p>"So what did you think?" asked Tenten.<p>

Neji frowned.

"He looked different." he stated simply.

"Really Neji? Care to elaborate?"

"There are the physical changes of course, but most striking are his eyes. They used to be full of this determination. Now they are empty of emotion or just unreadable, even to me."

Tenten agreed.

"You're right. Do you think it has anything to do with why he's back?"

"Probably."

The couple turned and entered the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"Tenten, we should not pry. Naruto will tell us in his own time the reason for his return."

"I guess so. We should just leave it for now. "

The two were greeted by Inoichi Yamanaka.

"Here to choose floral arrangements?" he guessed, smiling at the young couple.

"Of course!" chirped Tenten. Letting go of Neji's arm, she threw herself into a conversation about flowers.

"I was thinking of using blue and white as the colour scheme. I don't really want to use pink, but roses would be nice."

"Yes, I see. What about some dark blue delphinium around white roses?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Can I see it?"

"Of course. Come this way please."

Inoichi led Tenten through a door behind the counter. Neji sighed.

He had a feeling he would be here for a while.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru arrived at his apartment, to find the door unlocked. Drawing out a kunai, he entered cautiously, only to find Temari sitting on the couch, reading over a report, pen in hand.<p>

She looked up when he entered, and put the report down.

"You're back." he commented.

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"It was a false alarm. Turns out the 'enemy ninja' seen by the civilians were actually training dummies." said Temari simply. She glanced at the weapon in his hand. Noticing her gaze, he put the kunai away quickly.

"Where've you been?" she asked with a smirk.

"Ino called everyone together for a meeting." he said, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"Ino?" said Temari, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't worry. This time, she didn't try to kill me." he replied.

"Still…" said Temari apprehensively.

"It was about Naruto. He's back in Konoha."

Temari looked shocked.

"Naruto? As in, Uzumaki?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"But he hasn't been seen for 4 years! Why's he back now?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"He didn't say, but I have a theory."

"I see. I should write to Gaara immediately. He'll definitely want to hear about this."

"Good idea. By the way, we're going to dinner tonight."

Temari looked at Shikamaru strangely.

"We are?"

"Troublesome, I know. Natsuki's at 7 o'clock. Naruto's treat."

"I suppose that means it won't just be you and me? And Ino will be there won't she. Are you sure I should go?"

Shikamaru sighed and nodded his head.

"Chouji should be able to control her. Besides, Ino wouldn't want to make a scene in public."

"Hasn't stopped her from doing it before."

"Just come, alright?"

Temari smiled and kissed Shikamaru quickly.

"Of course I'll be there. But if she's rude to me, well, don't blame me if blondie ends up in hospital with a fan shoved down her throat."

"Troublesome woman…" said Shikamaru with a smile.

"That's why you love me." Temari leaned over and kissed him quickly.

"Now leave me alone. I've got to finish this report for the Hokage."

* * *

><p>Sai and Shino walked in an amicable silence, until Sai spoke.<p>

"It was quite nice to see Naruto again."

The Bug-nin agreed.

"Yes."

"I am not too sure, but did Naruto seem a little different to you?" asked Sai.

"He did. Something has changed him."

Sai nodded. His instincts had been correct.

* * *

><p>Naruto Uzumaki.<p>

The name had haunted her for four years. No matter how hard she pushed it to the back of her mind, no matter how hard she tried to forget, it remained there, a faint presence in every thought. She didn't like to admit it, but it was there.

Hinata looked at Kiba, who was chatting away, oblivious to the fact that Hinata's mind was elsewhere.

Brave, kind, cheerful Kiba. He had been the one to rescue her. Save her from the depths of her self-pity. Why couldn't she just move on?

The year after Naruto had left, Hinata had shut herself down. Naruto had left before, but it had been different. That first time, she had watched him go, with the knowledge that he would be back. So she only had to wait, and hope.

But 4 years ago, Naruto had disappeared without a goodbye. For a week or so, many people thought he had become a missing-nin. The 5th Hokage had had to officially announce Naruto's long term leave before those rumours died down.

When Hinata had heard, she had been devastated. But quickly, that had turned into anger.

Now normally, Hinata was a very calm, forgiving, placid girl. But something in her snapped.

How dare he leave? She had loved him in secret for years. Finally, she builds up the courage to tell him, while simultaneously attempting to save his life. And does he appreciate it? No!

She'd almost died for him, and he hadn't said a word to her afterwards! He hadn't even said goodbye before abandoning the village.

Yes, Hinata had gotten very, very angry.

But after the anger, came guilt.

She felt _horrible_ for getting mad at him. Surely, he simply hadn't meant to hurt her? When he thought she had died, he _had_ gone into an almost unstoppable rage. Maybe that meant he did care?

Hinata had tortured herself wit those thoughts for weeks. This had led to a small break down of sorts.

It wasn't a dramatic break down. There was no crying, or screaming, or acting crazy. There as just a blankness about her being. She became quiet, quieter than usual, almost never speaking. She stopped training as hard, preferring to sit and stare into space.

Everyone became quite worried about her. Neji, Kurenai, Shino and Hanabi all tried to break her out of that state of nothing, but they couldn't. It seemed like no one could.

But Kiba did. He had calmly dragged her outside, not making any attempt to coddle her. He simply acted the way he normally did. And for the first time in a year, Hinata had felt something other than pain.

Slowly, she returned to normal. In fact, she became better than she had been before. Everyone noticed the change in her, and accredited it to Kiba.

She'd grown to love Kiba. He was the brightest thing in her life. But deep down, she hadn't forgotten Naruto. But did she still love him?

So now what? Hinata asked herself as her and Kiba approached the Hyuuga estate. She looked, really looked at Kiba. He was laughing at some joke he'd made.

She smiled. Kiba didn't deserve to be ignored. She could sort out her feelings later.

She laughed along with him, consciously pushing all thoughts of a certain blond shinobi away.

At that moment, Hinata only knew one thing for certain about how she felt. She was really dreading dinner that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Another sub-standard chapter : I didn't really like it, but hopefully you will! Our school got cancelled today because of snow, so I had time to write (trust me, snow is a miraculous thing here. It's the first time it's snowed properly in Wellington for like 15 years). Please R & R!**


	6. Preparations

**AN:** **Hey guys! A quick note: I love you all, but I'd love you more if I got a few more reviews! Seriously, they don't have to be long or detailed, I'd be happy with a smiley face! Sorry about the wait, I've just been rather busy.  
>DISCLAIMER: Naruto is not mine, but when I win the lottery I'll be paying Mr. Kishimoto a visit :D<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six – Preparations<strong>

_I know that we'll have a ball__  
><em>_If we get down__  
><em>_And go out__  
><em>_And just lose it all  
><em>- **Black Eyed Peas**

* * *

><p>The trip back to his old apartment was uneventful, so Naruto found himself thinking about his friends. One friend, in particular.<p>

Sakura. It seemed like Sakura was the same as ever, Naruto had never been the most observant person.

He knew that his leaving had hurt her, and he was sorry about it. Hopefully though, it hadn't impacted her too much. Sakura was tough. She'd probably moved on from what little feelings she may have had for him.

It may have been just been the fact that he hadn't seen her in four years, but Sakura sure was prettier now. She carried herself more maturely.

It had been a while. Sakura probably had a boyfriend now. One that wouldn't leave her for the world. She deserved that much.

When Naruto arrived at his familiar old home, he opened the door to see that the place had been cleaned up. It seemed that Granny Tsunade must have sent someone in to dispose of all the expired food and rubbish. Luckily, the Fifth Hokage had seen fit to keep the apartment exclusively for Naruto's use. It had stood empty all the years he was away.

Other than the slightly unnatural tidiness, and general emptiness, the place was exactly the same. His old poster of the Konoha symbol still hung above his bed, a little faded, and rolling up slightly at the edges.

He remembered sitting under it, on his bed just before the funeral of the Third Hokage. After that, every morning when he had woken up, he had sworn to protect the village and continue the Will of Fire.

Whenever something terrible had happened, or nothing seemed to being going right, he had sat and looked up at that poster. It reminded him of his dream, his dream to become Hokage. It inspired him to never give up, to keep hoping.

The Will of Fire. The First, Second and Third Hokage's had all possessed it, and therefore were able to give their lives for Konoha. His very own father, the Fourth Hokage, had had it also. Granny Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, was carrying on her predecessors' spirit.

When Naruto saw that poster, he saw the Hokage's legacy. It stood for everything he admired, and wanted to be.

But he had left the village to do what he felt was right. He had a gut feeling that many people had considered that a betrayal of sorts, leaving to chase after a lost cause, instead of staying and training to become Konoha's next leader.  
>Could he ever be accepted again? Would he have to give up his dream of becoming the next Hokage?<p>

He wandered around the small room, running his fingers over the familiar walls. It was an oddly sentimental action, not something that you would expect him to do.

For 16 years of his life, this apartment had been his home. Returning to it gave him this warm feeling, deep inside his chest.

He headed into the bathroom, towards the inviting shower. He desperately needed to clean himself off. Naruto swore he had grime in places he'd never even known he'd had.

Hopefully no one had turned off the water. Or the electricity.

Otherwise he was in for a really bad shower.

* * *

><p>Natsuki's was a classy place. The Akimichi Clan had been lucky to buy the restaurant when it's previous owners had left following the Fourth Shinobi War.<p>

So it made perfect sense that Chouji was having a hard time convincing his dad to let him have an entire table reserved for him and his friends.

"Chouji, you cannot have a table. It's too short notice. Besides, we're almost completely booked."

Now, Chouji may have been a powerful, 20 year old, jounin level shinobi, but he was still rather good at whining to his parents.

"But dad, I already told everyone I could get us in."

Choza Akimichi sighed.

"Why exactly do you want a table anyway? I'm sure it's not just so you can sit and chat."

Chouji looked sheepish.

"Actually dad, um… it kind of is."

Chouji saw the look on his dad's face, and hurried to continue.

"You see the thing is, well, you know Naruto?"

Choza nodded. Who didn't know the former Hokage candidate who had left Konoha.

"Well he's kind of back."

Choza's eyebrows shot upwards. The Uzumaki kid had returned. This changed everything.

"You know what Chouji, I think a table might have opened up after all."

His son grinned.

"Thanks dad!"

He turned to leave, and then quickly spun round again.

"Oh, almost forgot! We've arranged to meet at 7o'clock."

"I'll have the table Chouji. I promise." Choza watched his son leave with a spring in his step, and prepared to leave as well.

Inoichi and Shikaku needed to hear about Naruto's return.

* * *

><p>It was starting to wear off. He could now move all the fingers on his right hand.<p>

It wasn't a lot, but it was a start.

Soon. He just had to bide his time.

* * *

><p>It was nearing the time. 13 young ninja were getting ready for a night at one of Konoha's most exclusive restaurants. The evening was sure to be interesting, to say the least.<p>

The venue was set. No one had doubted Chouji's ability to get a table at Natsuki's. There was no way Choza would turn down the chance to have Naruto's 'official' reunion dinner at his restaurant. The sheer amount of publicity that would come from it was huge. People talked, and soon enough, everyone would be clambering to get a seat at Natsuki's, in hope of seeing the famous blond for themselves.

It also helped that Natsuki's was a rather expensive restaurant, and Naruto was known to be quite the eater.

The aforementioned blond had taken a rather long shower, and managed to get off 2 days' worth of dust and grime. Luckily, the water had been hot.

Naruto stepped out of the shower in a cloud of steam. It felt good too actually be having a proper clean.

He shook the water out of his hair, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom and went in search of clothing.

Opening his wardrobe door, he was met with a sorry sight. Two sets of his old black and orange track suit hung there, along with something in a dry-cleaners bag.

Damn it, thought Naruto. He'd forgotten that when he'd left the village, he'd sealed most of his clothing into a scroll and taken it with him. Most of the clothes he'd taken with him had been destroyed in various fights, or worn out from general wear and tear.

Naruto pulled out one of the track suits. Despite having lain unworn for 4 years, it still retained its cheery bright orange colour.

He held the tracksuit against himself, jacket shoulders to his shoulders. It was too short It seemed he'd definitely outgrown his old garments.

He hung the track suit back on the rack and pulled out the other one. It was also, as expected, much too short.

Hanging it back up, he took out the item of clothing in the bag. He could not for the life of him remember what was in there.

Hoping for some article of clothing which could be worn to a classy restaurant, Naruto unzipped the bag and carefully took out the garment inside.

Handling it carefully, he held it up. His eyes widened.

* * *

><p>After an awkward period where the two had just walked in silence, Ino managed to drag Sakura out shopping.<p>

Sakura had tried protesting, but Ino had just hadn't listened.

"It's Natsuki's, Sakura! It's not a ramen stand, where you can show up in your medic uniform. You need something nice!"

Sakura gave up trying to make Ino let her go. It would just be easier to go along with it.

Ino dragged her into store after store, and both girls tried on outfit after outfit (Ino with much enthusiasm, and Sakura not so much). Ino quickly found something she liked, but Sakura did not posses that luck.

Sakura felt like she'd tried on hundreds of different dresses, skirts, tops and jackets, but nothing got Ino's stamp of approval.

"I swear Ino, this is the last store!" said a rather exasperated Sakura as Ino dragged her into yet another boutique.

"Yeah, yeah Sakura. Look, I know you'll definitely find something in here!" Ino waved the remark off and made a beeline towards a rack of dresses. Picking out several, she threw them into Sakura's arms and all but pushed her into a changing room.

Sakura looked exhaustedly at the 5 dresses Ino had given her. After immediately eliminating two for being a bit too revealing, Sakura was left with three.

The first was a simple black dress that looked promising. Unfortunately, it proved quite a struggle to get into, being 2 sizes too small.

Feeling rather like an overstuffed pillow, Sakura stuck her head out of the changing room curtain.

"Um… Ino?" she asked the girl, who was absentmindedly admiring a pink scarf. Ino turned around.

"Sakura, get out of the changing room!" she exclaimed, hands on hips. "How am I supposed to see what you look like if you don't come out?"

"Well how am I supposed to wear this thing when it's way too small?" replied Sakura, still refusing to leave the changing room.

"Well sooo-rry!" huffed Ino. "It was the only one left! Just try one of the other ones on."

Sakura sighed. She was going to be there all day, wasn't she? At this rate, they'd never make it out of this store, let alone to Natsuki's.

The next dress was treated to a long list of Ino's criticisms.

"Too long. The neckline's off. That shade of pink clashes with your hair and washes you out at the same time. Plus, it's super childish and makes you look like, 12 years old."

Sakura agreed with Ino's remarks on the hot-pink baby doll dress. Heading back into the changing room, she desperately hoped that this lat dress would be the one. Otherwise she as going to show up to Natsuki's in her spare medic uniform.

"Perfect!" squealed Ino when Sakura stepped out. "Buy it!"

The blue dress was simple, yet elegant. It fit Sakura like it was made for her. The shade of dark, slate blue worked well with Sakura's rather bright hair. It was made of a light silky material, with spaghetti straps, just perfect for a hot summer night.

Sakura liked it. Unlike some of the other things she had tried on, this one just felt… right.

It felt good to be buying something nice. She hadn't really gone shopping in a while. She'd really just not had the time, what with working in the hospital for most of her days. Wow. She'd really let her social life fall apart, hadn't she?

"Sakura? Hello, Sakura? Are you buying the dress?"

Sakura shook her head slightly. Ino was waving her hand in front of her face, trying to attract Sakura's attention.

"Sorry, I must have just zoned out there." apologised Sakura. "Yes, I'm going to buy the dress."

Ino grinned. Sakura changed out of the dress and headed to the counter to pay for it.

On their way out, they noticed Hinata and Tenten walking past, with Neji and Kiba following behind them, both carrying large loads of… flowers?

"Hey guys! What's up with the flowers?" called Ino, waving. The four stopped, and waited for Ino and Sakura to catch up to them.

"Hi Sakura! Hi Ino!" chirped Tenten. "The flowers? They're just samples of flower arrangements for the wedding. Neji and I were just at your shop Ino. Your dad was so helpful!"

"Wait a second. It makes sense that Neji was there, but why are Hinata and Kiba with you?" asked Sakura.

Hinata smiled at Kiba, who was scowling under a pile of blue, white and purple flowers.

"I dragged Kiba along with me to this. He didn't really know what he was getting into when he agreed to help me. He was supposed to just walk me home. He's probably regretting it now."

The girls laughed as the group walked out of the main shopping streets. They made small talk, avoiding any topics that may come up at the night's dinner. Finally they reached the Hyuuga estate, and said goodbye to Neji, Tenten and Hinata.

"See you guys at dinner!" called Ino, as she, Sakura and Kiba walked off.

"Soo…" said Kiba, feeling just a little bit awkward. "Naruto's back."

He paused, waiting for a reaction from Sakura. In return, he only got a simple "Yes."

"And?" he asked, pushing for more. He'd avoided bringing the topic up before, not really wanting to mention him around Hinata. Maybe now he could talk to someone about Naruto's return.

Instead, all he got was Ino grabbing onto a tense Sakura's arm.

"And we'll see you at dinner!" she said, before she and Sakura turned and left him walking alone.

"Great." he said to nobody, walking home to get ready.

* * *

><p><strong>I'd like to apologise for the girly shopping scene. It's my birthday next week and I've been banned from buying anything just in case my friends have gotten me the same thing. I had to let my inner shopaholic out! :D Again, updates will probably be slower than usual (I'm planning my birthday party) <strong>_**sooooo**_** if you need your Naruto fanfiction fix, I suggest reading one of my oneshots (blatant author self advertising alert)! Love you all 3**


	7. A Dinner to Remember

**AN:** **Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear meeeee… happy birthday to me! You may have guessed, but it's my birthday! So in honour of this joyous occasion, I bring you one extra long chapter of **_**Light of the Leaf.**_** Enjoy my darlings :D  
>DISCLAIMER: You know what I wished for Mr. Kishimoto. Now make it come true!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven – A Dinner to Remember<strong>

_Dance the night away__  
>Live your life, and stay young on the floor<br>Dance the night way  
>Grab somebody drink a little more<br>_- **Jennifer Lopez**

* * *

><p>6.50pm. The first ninja to arrive outside Natsuki's was Chouji, of course. He had arrived early to confirm that he and his friends had indeed managed to secure a table. The table was ready and waiting. Inside the restaurant, it was crowded with even more people than usual, which was saying a lot, considering that Natsuki's was usually fully booked.<p>

Chouji noticed that near the entrance of the restaurant, sat Sakushi Niseno and a camera. Both were trying to appear subtle, and succeeding, as long as the person that saw them was not a ninja.

Sakushi was the gossip columnist from the Konoha Letter, Konoha's very own tabloid newspaper. It had started up just after the Fourth Shinobi War. The tabloid was popular with a lot of the civilians, and because of it, many ninja's had become rather famous. First most among them was the Konoha 12 (the Konoha 11 + Sai). Media coverage about what the Letter dubbed 'Konoha's next generation of sexy shinobi' had intensified just after Naruto's departure, and than dropped off again, with only a weekly column to inform the civilians of their weekly lives. Recently, because of Neji and Tenten's engagement, coverage had picked up again.

The staff at the Konoha Letter were all ex-shinobi, some from Konoha, and some from other villages. The reason for this was so other ninja did not notice their presence straight away while they took paparazzi shots of their daily lives.

Chouji had a sneaking suspicion that it his dad may have leaked the fact that Naruto would be dining there tonight. His dad was smart. He knew that everyone would be clamouring to catch a glimpse of the returning shinobi, especially reporters. A front page article showing the Konoha 12 eating at Natsuki's after Naruto's return to Konoha would generate a flurry of interest in the restaurant.

He sat down at the large table their group had been assigned. Natsukis' maitre d', his uncle Daiku had happily pointed it out to him.

"No need to show me to my seat Uncle Daiku." he said, grinning widely.

Daiku smiled.

"Of course Chouji. By the way, you certainly look good tonight."

Chouji looked down at his clean, button up white shirt and brown chinos. Being an Akimichi, he knew that he couldn't walk into a fancy restaurant wearing his casual everyday clothing. But he wasn't much of a snappy dresser, so had opted for something simple.

"Thanks Uncle Daiku!" he replied happily before heading to, and sitting down at their table.

Chouji caught sight of Ino and Sakura arriving, Daiku leading them over. He stood up, waving them over enthusiastically. Other diners turned around to look at him, some slightly scandalised, others excited to see one of Naruto's friends. Chouji stopped waving, and waited.

He was a bit surprised to Sakura dressed in something other than her medic uniform. Honestly, he hadn't seen her where anything different from that for a really long time. The blue dress she was wearing was really nice.

Pulling a chair out for her, he greeted her.

"Hey Sakura. You look great!"

Sakura smiled and sat down.

"Thanks Chouji. So do you."

He greeted Ino with a hug. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and sat down on the offered chair.

"Ino! You look really...wow! Is that a new dress?"

She really did, in his opinion at least. For once, her blonde hair was out. It hung down her back, swishing with every step she took. Her dress was a dark purple, almost black, being only a shade or two different than the small black clutch purse she carried. Cocktail length, it was elegant and strapless. In his eyes, she looked perfect.

Moments like this reminded Chouji of how lucky he was to have Ino.

Ino blushed and beckoned for him to sit down next to her.

"Thank you Chouji! Yes it is."

Ino looked around, and noticed the empty seats.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"We're early Ino." Said Sakura, placing her blue beaded purse onto the table.

"I told you we left too soon Sakura! Seriously, I'd barely put my mascara on!" Ino sighed.

Chouji put his hand on her arm, and she smiled at him.

"It's fine Ino. You're gorgeous. Hey, look, here's Neji and Tenten."

The two girls turned to see an elegant couple walking towards them, being led by Daiku.

Tenten's for once, was not in her customary two buns, but rather a sleek French twist. She had teamed this with a mint green halter neck dress, and rather high heeled shoes.

Neji looked very sophisticated, dressed in a gray suit. His tie matched Tenten's dress perfectly.

The couple sat down, Neji pulling Tenten's chair out for her. They were greeted with smiles and exclamations.

"You to look really great together." said Sakura. Ino agreed, and then proceeded to ask whether Neji had dressed himself.

"Of course I did!" exclaimed Neji, before quickly changing the subject. He turned and started talking to Chouji about the night's specials.

Tenten rolled her eyes and grinned at Ino, while subtly shaking her head no. Ino giggled quietly, before noticing Kiba and Hinata walk towards their table, barely a minute after Neji and Tenten.

The shy girl was wearing a black, one shouldered, knee length dress. Her blue-black hair was half up, half down. She looked slightly uncomfortable, but classy nonetheless.

Kiba had ditched the leather jacket he normally wore, in favour of black sports jacket, paired with charcoal dress pants.

After pulling out Hinata's chair for her, Kiba sat down.

"Hey guys! Where the hell is everyone?" he asked rather loudly. Other diners turned to look at him. Hinata shushed him and quietly apologised.

"Don't apologise for him Hinata!" Ino said, while shooting her best glare at Kiba. She turned to Hinata with a smile. "By the way, you look so amazing! You even managed to make Kiba look less feral than usual!"

Ino's words were met with laughter and agreement from the rest of the group.

"Hey!" said Kiba jokingly. "I feel offended!"

Hinata relaxed a little. She didn't normally dress up very much, but luckily she'd had Tenten to help her find something to wear. She looked around, noticing that not everyone was there yet. She felt a little relieved.

She laughed and thanked Ino, while simultaneously patting Kiba on the hand. Playfully, he grabbed her hand and kissed it, before grinning at her.

"You look awesome Hinata." Kiba said.

"Awwww!" exclaimed Tenten. She happily watched at her future cousin-in-law, who was blushing a little. "You guys are just adorable!"

"We try." said Kiba. "Hey Neji, how's the wedding planning going?"

Conversation turned to talk of the upcoming nuptials. They were interrupted by the arrival of Sai, Shino and Lee, at exactly 7pm.

Shino was covered up, as usual. He'd chosen to wear an outfit almost identical to his normal one, only his coat was light gray and made of a much nicer fabric, with a collar that didn't obscure his face.

Sai had opted for a rather long black cloak, over dark blue trousers and a dark blue top. It was nice to see he'd tried to dress up.

Lee on the other hand, was wearing his regular green jumpsuit.

"Good evening my friends! You are all looking most youthful and marvellous!" said Lee cheerfully as the three sat down. Lee zoomed straight for the empty seat next to Sakura.

Shino greeted everyone with a nod, and sat down next to Kiba silently.

"Hello." said Sai. "You are all dressed rather formally. I have attempted to as well."

Sakura smiled kindly at Sai. He'd made an effort. It was more than could be said for Lee.

"Lee!" exclaimed Tenten. 'What are you wearing?"

"My most magnificent jumpsuit or course Tenten! Neji, my teammate, I am most happy to see that you and Tenten have also worn green tonight!" said Lee, blatantly ignorant of the fact that he was the only one wearing his usual clothing.

"Lee, you do realise we're at Natsuki's, right?" asked Tenten, shooting a look towards her fiancé.

Lee looked confused.

"Yes Tenten. Is that not where we are supposed to be?"

Tenten sighed.

"We're at Natsuki's, and you wore your jumpsuit."

Lee became even more confused.

"What is the problem Tenten? Am I dressed incorrectly? Now, that is not possible, for there is no occasion where I cannot wear Gai-sensei's most amazing inventions!"

Tenten turned to Neji, eyebrows raised.

"Didn't you tell him this was a fancy restaurant?"

"I thought you were going to tell him!" protested Neji.

Lee was absolutely baffled by his teammates' argument. Quietly, Sakura explained to him that he was supposed to wear formal clothing.

"Oh!" he exclaimed loudly, interrupting Tenten and Neji. "Si I was supposed to get dressed up?"

Tenten and Neji nodded, glad to see that Lee understood.

"Well then you will be glad to know that I am!" said Lee, striking a seated 'Nice-Guy' pose. "For this is my favourite jumpsuit! It is the most magnificent and youthful of them all. Gai-sensei himself declared that this jumpsuit is the pure embodiment of the power of youth! It is the one I have myself embroidered with the Konoha symbol!"

Lee stood and turned around to show that Konoha's stylized leaf was indeed stitched in bright red thread right over Lee's… bottom? He proudly displayed it, making sure to point with both hands.

Reactions at the table varied from silent laughter to slight traumatisation.

Quickly, Sakura pulled him back onto his seat before any other diners noticed.

"No, Lee. Just no." she hissed quietly.

"What is wrong, my beautiful lotus blossom?" asked Lee, concerned. "Do you not like my jumpsuit?"

Tenten coughed, deciding it would be best to drop the subject of dress code before anything happened.

"Soooo… Who's still missing?" she asked quickly, steering the conversation away from Lee's backside.

"Well now that we're here, it's just Naruto." drawled a voice. Heads snapped around to see Shikamaru, dressed in a tan suit, with Temari right behind him. They had arrived while everyone was distracted by Lee. Awkwardly, Temari had shown up in the same dress as Ino, only in red.

The atmosphere got tense.

"So. You're late." said Ino, glaring at Shikamaru, while avoiding looking at Temari altogether.

"Yep." he replied calmly."We got a bit held up."

"You brought Temari." Ino stated.

Shikamaru nodded.

The table fell silent. It seemed like the whole restaurant was hushed.

That is, until someone cried out.

"Oh my gosh! It's…. is that him?"

Suddenly, the attention of all the restaurant's patrons turned towards the door.

A figure was being led in by Daiku. He was being met with excited whispers, and open staring from the diners.

The silence at the ninja's table was broken by a gasp from Hinata.

"Oh gosh…"

Kiba blinked.

"Is that?" he asked, uncertain.

"The Fourth…" she said, voice trailing off.

"He looks just like him…" Ino said quietly.

Tenten nodded in agreement.

"He was wearing that…" said Shikamaru.

"During the Invasion of Pain." Chouji finished his sentence for him.

Everyone but Temari winced. That had not been a pleasant memory. Many had faced death that day. Some had even died, like Kakashi and Shizune. Luckily, Naruto had saved them in the end, and convinced Nagato to bring all those who had died back to life.

Naruto arrived at the table, and didn't sit down.

No one stood to greet him. The busy restaurant had silenced itself, save for the faint click of a camera shutter. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

At that moment, Naruto was the spitting image of his father. He carried himself with an air of dignity, yet at the same time seemed shrouded in mystery.

He was wearing a long, dark red coat that seemed to billow around him. The coat had a familiar flame pattern around the hem.

It was the coat that Naruto had worn when he arrived back in Konoha after completing his sage training. The coat combined Minato Namikaze's Yondaime cloak, with the Sannin Jiraiya's colours. It was a coat worthy of the Hokage.

Many were spellbound. Everyone could see what the coat meant, what it represented. They saw the power emanating from it, the spirit of their beloved Yondaime and his sensei, Jiraiya. Two of Konoha's most powerful ninja's, both cut down in battle. Their legacy was living on in the blond haired boy.

None of them, save Hinata, had really seen the coat properly. Sakura, Shikamaru and Chouji had seen it from afar, and the others hadn't seen it before at all.

Only Hinata knew that the coat Naruto was wearing was most definitely not the same one he had worn 4 years ago. That one had been destroyed when Naruto had exploded into his six-tailed form during his battle with Pain.

The new coat…

The spell Naruto's arrival had cast was broken when Chouji, ever the good host, stood up.

"Naruto! You made it!" he said with a shaky grin, going up to Naruto and patting him on the back.

The table snapped back to life, as did the rest of the restaurant. While many civilians were still sneaking glances over at the young shinobi's table every now and then, most had returned to their meals.

Chouji sat back down. Ino squeezed his hand, thankful that he'd broken the ice. Naruto sat down on the free seat next to Sakura, who greeted him happily. Sai smiled at him.

"Hello Naruto. You are late. I believe that is considered rude."

Kiba flashed his fangs at Naruto in a playful grin.

"Yeah Naruto. You're late! I mean, come on, even I got here on time!"

Naruto grinned. Nice to see that everyone still acted normally. Ino blew a raspberry, and Naruto turned to see her rolling her eyes.

"Puh-lease! Only because you had Hinata to drag you here! Honestly Kiba, what would you do without her?"

His eyes went in search of her when he heard her name. Naruto couldn't remember actually seeing her earlier that day, but he swore he'd heard her quiet, stuttering voice.

His gaze roamed round the table, scanning over the faces of his closest friend until he found her. Blue eyes locked with white for a fraction of a second, before she broke away, quickly turning her head towards her boyfriend.

The moment was fleeting, over too quickly for most people to see. But they did. A pair of green eyes, and a pair of brown had caught the look.

* * *

><p>"Puh-lease! Only because you had Hinata to drag you here! Honestly Kiba, what would you do without her?"<p>

She had been dreading that moment. Hinata knew that eventually she'd be mentioned, but she had been hoping it would be later rather than sooner.

As soon as Ino said her name, Hinata could feel his eyes moving. She didn't need the Byakugan to see where he was looking.

She didn't meant to look towards him. It was instinct, built into her after years of watching him. Her head moved on its own accord, turning slightly to the left, towards him.

Half a second. Maximum. Their eyes met for only that small amount of time.

But for her, it felt like eternity.

His eyes.

They were drawing her in, puling her deeper into the dark blue. She was losing herself, losing control, and falling into the gaze. His eyes seemed to burrow into her soul.

They were searching. Were they really searching for her?

It took everything to tear herself away. Every fibre of her being rebelled. She was locked into the moment, but she didn't want to break free.

She turned back to Kiba immediately, and gave a small smile. He was pouting at Ino's comment.

Wait. What was going on with his eyes? They were… narrowed? No. It must have been her imagination. He looked fine, still jolly and happy to be joking around.

It took Hinata a second to realise that Naruto's attention was still on her.

"So…" he said to Kiba, all the while keeping his focus on her face. "You and Hinata?"

"Yep." answered Kiba. This time, Hinata was sure she could sense negativity. "3 years now."

Sensing hostility, Chouji looked from the face to face.

Kiba's fangs were ever so slightly bared. Naruto was completely calm, yet staring quite intently at Hinata. The girl was in turn, keeping her eyes on Kiba, refusing to look near Naruto.

Hastily changing the subject in an attempt to return the table to normal, Chouji cleared his throat.

Heads turned to look at him.

"So guys! Lets order!" he said cheerfully, waving over a waiter.

A man in a waiter's uniform came over, and gave them all menus. They accepted them gratefully, though the air was still tense.

Sai could sense that something was wrong. His former team mate and the Inuzuka were in some sort of stand off. He opened his mouth to comment, and then looked to Shino, who shook his head slightly. Sai closed his mouth again, deciding instead to read his menu.

The 13 shinobi read their menus in silence. They gave their orders quickly.

Ino noted the awkwardness. When it came to her turn to order, she made a decision.

"Bring sake. Lots of sake." she said to the waiter, who nodded and left the table.

* * *

><p>When the waiter came back with their drinks, most of those at the table accepted quickly.<p>

Hopefully the alcohol would get people talking again.

Only Lee refused even the smallest drink.

"Gai-sensei has told me all about the dangers of drinking!" he spouted enthusiastically."I must remain youthful and pure!"

Everyone nodded in utmost agreement. They all knew that Lee, a natural master of the Drunken Fist style, couldn't drink even a drop of alcohol. When he did, well, he had a tendency to destroy everything in sight.

"Of course Lee." said Tenten sweetly. She took a drink from her full glass.

"So, Ino!" she said to the blonde, who was glaring at the other blonde, female shinobi across the table. "How's work in T & I?"

Ino shrugged.

"Same old, same old. We had a C-Rank Missing-nin from Amegakure in today. Nothing interesting. How's the Academy?"

"Pretty good. Kurenai brought little Kasumi in for a visit today. She desperately wants to be a ninja!" Tenten smiled. She really did enjoy teaching at the Academy.

Suddenly, everyone started talking about this Kasumi person.

"Aw, she is just the sweetest little thing!" cooed Ino.

"How old is she now? 4? 5?" asked Kiba.

"She's almost 4." said Hinata. "Only a month until her birthday. Kurenai-sensei asked me to help with the party. She also said to see if you wanted to as well."

"Of course I will!" squealed Ino.

"Who's Kasumi?" asked Naruto. He hadn't heard the name before, and the conversation was leaving him confused.

"Kasumi Sarutobi. Kurenai and Asuma's child." answered Shino.

"Wait." Naruto looked incredibly perplexed. He glanced at Shikamaru quickly before continuing.

"But Asuma's dead?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Yeah idiot, we know that." he drawled. "Kurenai was pregnant when he died."

"Right. Ok. Got it." said Naruto sheepishly. He laughed awkwardly.

Small talk was made as the group waited for their food. Well, at least, small talk was made between those who were actually talking to each other, or talking at all.

Chouji, Tenten and surprisingly enough, Shino led the conversation, with Sai, Kiba, Ino and Neji occasionally joining in, and Naruto interrupting with questions.

When their food arrived, the shinobi dug in, thankful to have an excuse not to talk.

* * *

><p>Having been apprenticed to Tsunade for years, Sakura had learned a thing or two from the Legendary Sannin.<p>

Some of these tips were helpful, like how to extract poison out of someone's body, or how to knit together deep wounds.

Others were less useful, such as the ability to drink. Drink a lot.

Sakura was feeling... well she didn't know what she was feeling.

At first, when dinner started, she'd been feeling kind of relaxed. It was nice to go out and wear a pretty dress.

But than Naruto had shown up, and had some sort of a moment or something with Hinata.

What the hell? No one else seemed to notice, so maybe she was imagining it. But no. No there had been something.

There had been _a look_. Sakura was 100% sure of it.

She'd made the decision to start downing bottles of sake after Naruto and Kiba had had some sort of alpha dog face off.

How much had she had to drink?

6? 7 bottles of sake in the last hour or so?

God she was drunk.

Good thing Tsunade had also taught her how to cure a hangover.

They were half way through eating when someone brought it up.

The reason they were gathered there that evening.

"Naruto." said Neji politely. He looked expectantly at the blond shinobi.

Naruto looked up. From what he'd heard in the last 10 minutes, the conversation had been about the price of kunai and shuriken.

"Yeah?" he said. When Neji had said his name, everyone at the table had looked up, even Sakura, who had been surprisingly silent all evening.

"I think it's about time you told us." Neji said simply.

Naruto blinked. Damn it. He'd been hoping not to have to do that. He decided to play dumb.

"Tell you guys what?" he asked.

Neji sighed.

"Why you are back in Konoha. We deserve to know."

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and grimaced.

"Are you really sure you want to know?"

Nods all around.

"Fine." He said, defeated. "I'll tell you."

Everyone put down their utensils, and waited for him to start.

He took a deep breath. He'd already told the story once today.

"Sakura knows why I'm back. Shikamaru, Shino, maybe even you Ino, you may have guessed it."

"I left four years ago. But you guys know that. You also probably know why I left. To go after Sasuke, of course."

He paused, checking the reactions of the group.

"I've always said that I'll never, ever give up. It's my nindo, my ninja way."

Hinata's heart skipped a beat at those words. She wasn't really sure whether that was good or bad.

"It was the same with finding Sasuke. I couldn't give up on him, even if all of you had."

Shikamaru felt a little guilt set in. He'd been the one to approach Team 7 when they had decided Sasuke had to be killed.

"It took me a long time, but I found him. It was a few weeks ago now."

Ino gasped. She raised a hand to her mouth.

"Wait… you mean? He's here? He's come back with you?"

Naruto shook his head sadly.

"No. I… he…"

He couldn't ay it. He didn't want to tell them. Why had it been so much easier telling Kakashi and Sakura alone? Why couldn't he say it now.

"Sasuke's dead. That bastard's finally dead."

A voice slurred from Naruto's right.

It was Sakura.

She'd told them for him.

Silence.

"Wh-what happened?"

It was Hinata who spoke up. Naruto looked at her in surprise, then shook himself mentally.

He proceeded to tell his story, not looking at them. He couldn't.

Naruto's story ended with a mix of reactions.

No one knew what to say. Should they be sad that one of their own had gone? Happy that he'd finally been dealt with?

No one spoke. Lee patted Naruto awkwardly on the back.

Ino was holding Chouji's hand, looking like she was fighting back tears. Chouji was ashen faced.

Neji, Sai and Shino had their heads bowed down, as if in prayer. Neji's ar was around Tenten, hugging her close.

Hinata had buried her face in Kiba's neck, and Kiba had a look of complete and utter shock on his face.

Temari and Shikamaru did not look as affected as the rest of them.

Shikamaru had figured it out quickly. He'd felt sadness, but no sense of surprise.

Sasuke had once been his comrade, a fellow Leaf shinobi. For that person, Shikamaru could grieve.

But for the insane, remorseless murderer that Sasuke had become? Shikamaru felt only relief that that part of Sasuke had died.

Temari was not friends with Sasuke. She had fought him exactly once, and unlike the rest of them, she hadn't grown up with him, or been his friend back when he was sane.

To her, Sasuke was the lowest of the low. Someone who had betrayed their village, and tried to destroy it. He wasn't really human anymore.

Yes, it may have seemed cold. And maybe it was. But Temari didn't have the same perspective that the Konoha shinobi had.

Sakura was placid. She was beyond the point of feeling. Her only goal now was to drink herself into a stupor, in hope that this evening hadn't happened.

After the shock had passed momentarily, almost everyone decided to follow her lead.

The waiter was called, and more sake was brought.

To drink until they forgot. That's what they wanted.

* * *

><p><strong>I actually started out with a whole different scene planned for this chapter. This took me forever to write, so please please please leave a review! It can be you birthday present to me XD<strong>


	8. Morning After

**AN:** **:) :D :L 21 faves and 27 alerts! I love you guys :D This next chapter will hopefully be less… sad than the last. I'm sorry if I get anything wrong, I don't have any experience with hangovers/drinking. I've just read a lot of books and watched a lot of TV :D Sorry this has taken so long! I'm completely flat out right now! 0.o  
>DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned Naruto, you would all know.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Morning After<strong>

_Now the party's over__  
>And everybody's gone<br>I'm left here with myself and  
>I wonder what went wrong<br>_- **Ke$ha**

* * *

><p>"Sakura!" shrieked a voice from outside.<p>

The voice shook Sakura awake. She woke with a pounding headache and a bad taste in her mouth. She had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't the only one to have woken up feeling like crap.

Oh hell. What time was it? What time had she gotten home? Who had brought her home? Thank god she had the day off today. The last thing she remembered was getting very, very, drunk, and blacking out.

Sakura got off the couch the couch she'd crashed on, and noticed she was still wearing the blue dress. She laughed bitterly in her head. To think that only yesterday, she'd thought that a pretty new dress would make the night perfect. How stupid.

She held her head in her hands. Ugh. Whoever was outside had started banging on the door. The noise was jolting through her brain.

Quickly she used a nifty little jutsu to cure herself of her hangover and went to answer the door.

She opened it to find an irate, yet surprisingly perky looking Ino, holding something in her left hand.

"Ino. What are you doing here?" groaned Sakura. Ino ignored her and barrelled past Sakura. She flopped herself down on the couch.

Sakura followed cautiously, and sat down next to her.

"Look Sakura! Just look!" Ino thrust the object in her hand at Sakura.

Sakura grabbed the object.

It was today's edition of the Konoha Letter. Sakura stared at it, not quite understanding what she was meant to be looking at.

"Ino, what am I supposed to be looking at?" she asked the frustrated blonde."It's just an annoying taboid."

Ino sighed in exasperation.

"Read the headline! Read it out loud!" she commanded.

"Konoha 12 Reunited! The Return of Uzumaki!" read Sakura. She looked at Ino, confused.

"What's wrong? It's just another one of those stupid articles about us."

Ino shot Sakura a death glare.

"Now read the sub heading!"

"Drunken Night at Natsuki's. Konoha's Scandal- Ohhhh…" Sakura's mind clicked. She looked at the picture which graced the front page after glancing over at Ino. The blonde appeared to be trying to suffocate herself with a cushion.

The photo on the front was unflattering, to say the least.

It was the group of them, most in some state of intoxication. Everyone was on edge, uncomfortable. The picture made them look like they were about to scream at each other. It took up most of the page, with only a small article underneath it.

Sakura started to read the article. Ino lifted her head from the cushion, and instead decided to watch Sakura for any reaction.

_It started off as a quiet night at one of Konoha's top tier restaurants. But this calm reunion quickly degenerated into a drunken mess._

_Yesterday began with the return of long gone shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki (20), who looked sexy in a red coat. Uzumaki, having left the village under mysterious circumstances, had finally come back after four years away from his home village. Uzumaki is the only son of Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki._

_Attending the dinner were the Konoha 12 (Who's Who – Page 6-9). Notably there were newly engaged couple, Tenten (21) and Neji Hyuuga, Hyuuga clan prodigy.(Wedding Report – Page 11). _

_The other Hyuuga, the elegant heiress Hinata (20) was also there with long time boyfriend Kiba Inuzuka (20), their other teammate, Aburame heir Shino Aburame (20) and Aburame's best friend, Sai (20)._

_Along with others, the hottest young shinobi in Konoha were ready for a catch-up session and a pleasant meal. But this dining experience wasn't pleasant for all._

_After an awkward start, the conversation at the table seemed to be getting heavy. After an intense story from Uzumaki, the 13 gathered shinobi proceeded to drink themselves into a sorry state._

_Intoxicated, old rivalries, issues and problems flared up. The evening ended with the gorgeous group getting booted out, even though the restaurant is owned by one of their families! At the dinner was Akimichi heir, Chouji and Ino Yamanaka (both 20). _

_Awkwardly enough, their teammate, and Yamanaka's ex, the genius Shikamaru Nara (20) was also present with his new girlfriend, the Kazekage's sister, Temari Sabaku (22). Nara and Yamanaka parted on bad terms last year, so it was no surprise that after a night of drinking, Yamanaka and Nara's girlfriend, Sabaku had a loud confrontation. (Continued on Page 4)_

"Ino… do you remember what happened yesterday? Because from what I'm reading, I get the feeling tat it didn't go so well." Sakura looked hesitantly at her friend.

Ino bit her lip. She looked like she was going to go into meltdown.

"Go to page 4." she said. "You'll find out then."

Sakura hurriedly turned the page. Then turned it again. And again.

"How many pages on us does this stupid thing have?" exclaimed Sakura.

"8 pages!" Ino exploded. "8 freaking pages! 9 if you count the front page! It's a 9 page spread! With photos of everything! Everything!"

Sakura swore. No wonder Ino was so pissed off.

"…" she was speechless. The last time there'd been this much coverage over them was just after Naruto had left.

What would the Hokage think of this? God, Sakura hoped that nothing in the paper was too bad. Otherwise Lady Tsunade was going to kill her.

Ino, still fuming, waited as Sakura headed to page 4. She watched Sakura's eyebrows rose further and further upward as she read.

* * *

><p>To Naruto, being the human container for a malevolent evil demon fox spirit was generally quite unpleasant.<p>

But being the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki had its perks sometimes. The super fast healing, immense amounts of chakra, and of course, the fact that he never got hungover.

Naruto wasn't much of a drinker, but whenever he had drunk, he'd discovered that the Kyuubi seemed to neutralise any physically harming effects of alcohol as soon as he drank it. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how he looked at it), the Kyuubi didn't seem to actually stop him getting drunk. He just didn't throw up, he couldn't get alcohol poisoning, and he never suffered a blinding headache the day after.

The downside to this was he never seemed to remember what he'd done while he was under the influence. Naruto suspected that that was also the Kyuubi's doing.

Naruto had woken up fully dressed, on top of his bed. It was one of those times when he was glad that his mind was drawing a blank. When he blacked out and forgot things, he didn't dream.

His nightmares had always been worse than other people's, but normally, he had good dreams as well. But ever since… that… well let's just say he was no longer a fan of dreams.

After showering and changing, Naruto checked his apartment for food.

There wasn't any, but that was to be expected after being uninhabited for four years. He decided to head out for breakfast.

He looked at the window. There were people out and about, so it couldn't have been that early.

Ichiraku's would be open! He never did get to finish the bowl he had started eating yesterday. He'd gotten… distracted.

Naruto grinned at the thought and opened the door. He'd have to catch up with someone who hadn't gotten blind stinking drunk. Maybe they could tell him- huh?

Naruto bent down and picked up the object sitting on his doormat.

"The Konoha Letter." he read out loud.

Hmmm. Since when did Konoha have a newspaper?

The picture on the front of the paper caught his eye. It was him and his friends, from last night at Natsuki's. Everyone looked really angry.

Why on earth were they on the front?

As Naruto walked towards Ichiraku's, he skimmed the article on the front.

Hey! They mentioned him! So he was one of Konoha's hottest young shinobi? Shino and Sai were best friends? Ino and Shikamaru were in a feud?

Wow. He really had been gone too long!

The article on the front instructed him to turn the page for more articles.

Naruto tucked the newspaper under his arm and sped up. He'd save the reading of that until he got to Ichiraku's.

After all, it couldn't hurt to have a look at what the paper had to say about last night, right?

* * *

><p>He was almost done.<p>

Most of his body was moveable, albeit stiff. Only his left foot was still frozen, immobile.

But he was getting there.

It would be quick, but it didn't really matter.

He had all the time in the world.

* * *

><p>"Why?" Ino lamented as Sakura put down the newspaper. "Why, why, why, why, why did I do that? Why did that stupid reporter have to be there with that stupid camera and write a stupid article all about it?"<p>

Sakura shrugged, and patted Ino on the back, who winced at Sakura's touch.

"It's not that bad!" she said weakly. "There wasn't _that_ much detail! Ino, you know the media, they always blow everything out of proportion."

Ino groaned, and snatched up the paper. Turning to the appropriate page, she started to read out loud.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Battle of the Blondes! Yamanaka versus Sabaku! <strong>__(continued from Front Page)_

_Last night, at the Uzumaki reunion dinner, diners watched as the tension that had been building up for a year finally exploded in a drunken, rage-fuelled showdown between Konoha's two blonde beauties, Ino Yamanaka and Temari Sabaku._

_Emotions have run high between the two, ever since Yamanaka's break up with Shikamaru Nara, resident genius of the Konoha 12. The brains-meet-beauty couple, who were together for two years, split last summer in a messy break up caused by Nara's cheating ways._

_Sabaku, the Suna ambassador and sister to the Kazekage himself, had consistently denied rumours that she and Nara were in a relationship prior to the break up._

_Following the couple's split, there were many awkward public confrontations between the new couple of Nara-Sabaku, and woman scorned, Yamanaka. However, in comparison to the night's argument, these were nothing._

_Last night had started pleasantly, albeit awkwardly. Towards the end though, the sake had loosened tongues and set feelings on the boil. By then, not all the group had remained. Taijutsu prodigy, Rock Lee (21) had escorted a passed out Sakura Haruno (20) home earlier. Shino and Sai, our favourite bromance, had also departed, leaving only 4 established couples and Uzumaki._

_After drinking steadily the entire night, an intoxicated Yamanaka started yelling insults at Sabaku and Nara. Despite attempts from the calmer members of the group to calm her down, the situation escalated until Sabaku, who up to that point had been silent, proceeded to join in. Nara, usually level-headed, had snapped, seeming to have finally reached a point where he couldn't take Yamanaka's snipes at Sabaku anymore._

_The fight degenerated still until both kunoichi, but not Nara, had started making hand signs for jutsu. Sabaku managed to pull one off, and destroyed a few tables. It was this that led to the remaining members of the group being kindly escorted off the premises._

_Is this recent spat between Sabaku and Yamanaka the start of all out war? A sign of more scandal to come? Or maybe, with everyone's feelings on the table, Yamanaka and Nara can work to make up after the break up._

The article was accompanied by a spread of pictures, some from last year, some from last night. The biggest was a collage of four pictures from the dinner. The first was a clearly drunk Ino standing up, pointing and in the midst of saying something to Shikamaru and Temari. The anger on her face was evident.

The other three photos had been taken after the fight had heated up. Ino was throwing her drink at Temari. In another, she was being held back by Chouji while Temari threatened her with a fan. The last was Temari, Shikamaru and Ino in a shouting match, over a destroyed table and 6 shocked faces.

Naruto stared at the images, stunned. There had been a lot of information in that article. He must have thought this a billion times by now, but he really _had _been gone a long time. At least, long enough for all his friends to pair off into happy (or in the case of Shikamaru and Ino, not so happy) couples.

What if he'd never left? What if he'd stayed, left Sasuke to his own devices, instead of chasing after the late last Uchiha?

He pondered the thought. Maybe he'd be the one in a happy stable relationship, not alone, like he was now.

He turned the page, letting his eyes drift over the various profiles of the Konoha 12. Each profile was a paragraph about the person, with a photograph. His was the first. Naruto stopped to read it.

The photo was one that had clearly been taken the night before. Naruto was walking through the doors of Natsuki's, wearing the red coat.

Naruto couldn't help but notice that he looked quite… regal in the photo. He was in motion, yet the photo was completely clear. He applauded the photographer in his head. Whoever had taken it had some skills.

Everyone always said that he looked like his mother. But in this picture, he looked, dare he say it, just like his father.

He let his eyes drift from the photograph to the words underneath.

_Naruto Uzumaki (aged 20) is the son of Konoha's Legendary Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze (The Yellow Flash), and his gorgeous wife, Kushina Uzumaki of Whirlpool. With both parents' deceased, Naruto was an orphan, who grew from an annoying prankster into the powerful and handsome shinobi he is today. In a shock move, he deserted Konoha four years ago, leaving everyone he loved behind. He returned yesterday to the surprise of everyone, especially a certain pink-haired medic and even catching the eye of the taken Hyuuga heiress (Page 10).  
>NOTABLE MOMENTS: - Invasion of Konoha by the Sannin Orochimaru<br>- Invasion of Pain  
>- Defeat of Madara Uchiha after Fourth Shinobi World War<em>

Naruto put down the paper. Surely he had more achievements than that?

"Powerful and handsome shinobi?"

Naruto started. He looked up to see that Ayame standing in front of him, ladle in one hand, the other hand on her hip. She smiled. Naruto had been rather absorbed in the article.

"You were reading out loud." she said.

Naruto almost blushed.

"Ha, really?" he returned her grin. "I guess I didn't notice."

He turned back to the front page and held the paper up in front of Ayame's face

"So this 'Konoha Letter'… When did this start up? Why is there so much on me and my friends?"

Ayame raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"You don't know about the Konoha Letter?"

"I've been back for less than a day Ayame! Cut me some slack here!"

"Ahh, right."

She put the ladle down onto the counter.

"The Konoha Letter… I think it started… hmm, you left just after the war… so around a month after your departure."

Naruto nodded. That explained why he'd never heard of the newspaper before. He hadn't really kept up with the goings on in Konoha during his time away.

"As for why you guys are splashed across the pages… Well the easiest way to put it would be to say that you guys are kind of celebrities now."

It was Naruto's turn to look surprised. What?

"Celebrities? How? Why? Since when?" he asked in rapid succession.

"They call you the Konoha 12. By you, I mean you, Sakura, Sai, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru. Actually, this is the biggest spread on you guys that I've seen since the Letter started. Must be because you're back Naruto!"

"Ok… but wait a second! Why? Why are we celebrities?"

"Think about it Naruto. A group of 12, attractive jounins… well 11 attractive jounin and one genin-"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. They were all jounin now? Damn it, he must be the most powerful genin in the history of Konoha!

"- who have all done remarkable things to help Konoha. What newspaper wouldn't pounce on that! All of you are slated to become highly successful and powerful."

Naruto scratched his head.

"Right… I don't really get it."

Ayame sighed.

"It doesn't really matter, but maybe it would be easier just to say that you are a bunch of very interesting people, who do things that shinobi and civilians alike find interesting to read about."

Naruto turned back to page with the profiles. Ayame pointed at the paragraph on him.

"A certain pink-haired medic?" she asked. "Must mean Sakura."

Naruto's gaze went to Sakura's profile. Her picture was also one of her entering the restaurant. She looked tired, but still pretty. She had looked really nice in that blue dress.

"Isn't it great to see Sakura wearing something non-work related for once?" Ayame commented with approval.

Naruto was puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that in this picture, it's the first I've seen Sakura not wearing a medic's uniform in a really long time."

"Huh…"

Sakura always wore her medic uniform? She probably just really worked a lot, and stopped off at Ichiraku's for a bite to eat.

Ayame turned the page for him. She pointed at a picture on page 8. Naruto's eyes followed.

"Catching the eye of the Hyuuga heiress? That's got to be Hinata."

His eyes drifted over the photograph, which was shared between two people's profiles.

Hinata's photo was not of her alone. It was her and Kiba, walking into Natsuki's. His arm was around her waist, and he was saying something to make her laugh.

Hinata's head was tilted up slightly, in a moment of quiet laughter. Her lips were smiling, but her pale eyes seemed distant, uneasy.

Even so, she looked… amazing. She radiated a sense of confidence that Naruto was sure she hadn't had before. It was strange, but in the best possible way.

His mind returned to the thought he'd been having earlier. Would he be where Kiba was if he'd stayed in Konoha? Or would he have Sakura on his arm?

Or would nothing have changed?

"She's happy with him, you know." Ayame jolted him back into reality from his world of 'what if's'.

"But she always did like you. You were oblivious though. Poor girl."

Naruto thought back. The memory he visited was fuzzy. Anything that happened before he went all 'nine-tails' tended to get jumbled up in his head.

The Invasion of Pain. He'd been down, immobilised by the Deva Path. That much he knew for certain. But in the moments after, well, that was a blur.

She'd rushed in to save him, knowing she would probably die. She'd said… had she really said those things? Or had he imagined it?

Whatever had happened, he'd gotten angry. Angry enough to erupt straight into his six-tailed transformation. But then, he'd met his father…

Ayame sighed again, louder this time. She smiled gently when Naruto looked up at her, simultaneously turning a page.

"Taking a trip down memory lane?"

"You could say that." said Naruto. He looked down at the page, only to see it full of pictures.

Pictures of himself, and Hinata.

It wasn't anything particularly or anything. There was just a feeling of intensity about the pictures.

They'd managed to capture that exact moment when they'd locked eyes the night before. Naruto had remembered that.

It was brief, a fleeting glimpse into her head. He didn't know why he'd gone looking for her.

She'd held his gaze, if only for the shortest amount of time possible. But that was enough. The memory was burned into his head.

Like before, he didn't know why.

For some reason, Kiba had been openly aggressive towards him for what Naruto presumed was the rest of the night.

That hostility had also been captured on film. In one photo, it appeared to be a staring contest between Kiba and Naruto. A staring contest filled with enmity. Strangely enough, there was also a picture of Sakura passed out.

Naruto didn't bother to read the article or captions which accompanied the photos. He closed the paper, and Ayame immediately took it off his hands. She opened it, reading eagerly. She seemed very into the articles. Naruto, on the other hand, had seen enough.

Besides, his ramen was getting cold.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so so so sorry it's taken me forever to update! Please leave a review! I will love you forever :) I've been very very busy lately, and will be for a while, but I'll still try to update regularly!<strong>


	9. Decisions

**AN:** **I had altogether too much fun writing the newspaper article bits :) 27 faves and 28 alerts! :D Thank you! I am awfully sorry about the late update. Life is actually incredibly hectic for me right now. Why is it that everything seems to pile up at the same time :/  
>DISCLAIMER: I didn't get it for my birthday, so I certainly don't own it now.<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Decisions<strong>

_Pictures of last night__  
>Ended up online<br>I'm screwed  
>Oh well<br>_- **Katy Perry**

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><p>If there was one thing Tsunade hated the most about being Hokage, it was paperwork.<p>

Oh god, every day it seemed to just appear on her desk, in an unending pile. It didn't matter how fast she did it, the stack seemed to remain the same size.

Tsunade stamped another sheet of paper. Shizune quickly switched the document with a fresh one.

There was a knock on the door.

Tsunade put down her stamp, shaking her cramping hand. She was certainly glad to have a break from the monotonous task.

Shizune moved quickly, opening the door to a cat-masked ANBU. The ANBU walked in slowly, and removed his mask.

Tsunade looked up to see a brown haired man with a face framing forehead protector. She smiled.

"Ah. You're here."

"I came as soon as I received your summons, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade nodded.

"Good. Shizune, would you please close the door?"

Her assistant shut the door, closing the office of from any outside distractions. Tsunade thanked Shizune quickly, before turning back to the man.

"Are you still going by Yamato?" she asked.

"Yes." he replied tersely. Tsunade nodded again. Yamato had kept the codename for a long time now. Tsunade was starting to think he'd never go back to using his real name. Yamato had really seemed to grow attached to his codename. Tsunade wondered if it had anything to do with Naruto. It was a loose connection, but still. Naruto had always had that weird ability to inspire and befriend others so easily. Yamato's fondness of the name used during his time as Naruto's sensei could be attached to Naruto's departure. Or at least, that was Tsunade's theory.

After having been captured and used by Kabuto Yakushi during the war, Yamato had asked to leave Team Kakashi, and go back into ANBU. Tsunade had been unsure about the choice, but with Naruto leaving and the teams being officially disbanded, the decision to keep Yamato in ANBU had been made for her.

"Ok. Yamato, I trust you've heard that Naruto Uzumaki has returned?"

Yamato looked surprised. Naruto was back? Since when?

"I didn't know that. When did he arrive?"

"Yesterday afternoon. I'm surprised Yamato, even the civilians know he is back. It's all over the Konoha Letter."

"I don't read the Letter, Lady Tsunade."

"Right, right… no, neither do I."

That was a lie. Reading the Konoha Letter was one of her guilty pleasures, like gambling and drinking. Unlike the latter two though, she tried to keep the fact that she was an avid reader of the tabloid under wraps.

"Well, anyway…" Tsunade cleared her throat, and Yamato looked at her strangely. "Naruto arrived back yesterday with some rather interesting news."

Tsunade looked over at Shizune. Immediately, the medic-nin produced a folder and handed it to Yamato. Tsunade nodded in thanks.

Yamato opened the folder, taking out and skimming the first page of the document inside.

He looked back at Tsunade.

"So the Uchiha's finally dead." he said, the slightest hint of question in his voice.

"Yes." said Tsunade. "Or so it seems."

"So it seems?"

Tsunade leaned forward, elbows on her desk in a familiar posture.

"Naruto's story is perfectly plausible. There's nothing wrong with it, but something just seems… off. According to him, Sasuke died of a broken neck, due to falling debris. Do you see the problem with this account?"

Yamato nodded tersely.

"Sasuke Uchiha was a notorious missing-nin. He was the last of the Uchiha clan, possessor of an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and had years of training under Orochimaru. To die of something so, well, simple, just seems too easily avoided." he answered. "Do you believe that Naruto is lying, and that Sasuke is not dead?"

Tsunade shook her head.

"No." she said with complete certainty. "I don't think Naruto would lie about this. I think he truly believes in what he is saying. Naruto has no reason to be dishonest, and any dishonesty on his part would only hurt him. However, I wouldn't put it past Sasuke to have some trick up his sleeve. That's why I'm sending you out there."

"Out where?"

"When Sasuke 'died', Naruto buried his body in an unmarked grave on the outskirts of Konoha. He's given us the location of the grave. I am sending you to lead a reconnaissance team of ANBU to investigate the site and bring back Sasuke's body. If he really is dead, we can't have the Sharingan fall into the hands of the wrong people."

Yamato slipped the document back into the folder.

"Yes Lady Tsunade. I understand."

"I have assembled your team, and they have already been briefed. They are waiting for you at the gates. Leave at once."

Yamato nodded and flickered out of the room.

Tsunade sighed and held her head in her hands.

She hoped to god that Sasuke was dead, because if he wasn't…

* * *

><p>Unlike Naruto and Sakura, Hinata could remember the night at Natsuki's in excruciating detail. Unfortunately, this was not a pleasant thing for her.<p>

She hadn't drunk very much. At least, not in comparison to everyone else. But she'd certainly drunk more than normal.

After the group had been kicked out of Natsuki's, she had been taken home by Neji and Tenten. Actually, wait. That was wrong.

She'd been taken home by Tenten, while Neji had kindly decided to help a rather tipsy Kiba. Kiba had protested, and explicitly stated that he would be fine getting home himself, but Neji had been rather insistent. Hinata had a sneaking suspicion that Neji had not 'helped' him out of the kindness of his heart, but rather had an ulterior motive for wanting to help Kiba get home.

Speaking of Kiba…

Hinata was not looking forward to seeing him. It may not have seemed like a lot, especially in comparison to the Ino/Shikamaru/Temari love triangle, but everything that had happened at Natsuki's was messing with her mind.

Hinata got up out of her bed slowly. Her head hurt, in more ways than one. She looked at the clock which hung on her wall.

10:30. Not too bad, considering how late they'd been out the night before. Hinata thanked her father silently for letting her sleep, as opposed to dragging her up for an early morning training session. Hinata was curious about her father's reaction when she'd arrived home last night. It seemed Tenten must have worked some sort of magic to make him turn a blind eye.

Hiashi had changed in the last few years. After the war, he'd worked tirelessly to abolish the use of the Cursed Seal on branch family members. After campaigning against the elders for years, Hiash had finally, with the support of almost everyone in the clan, banned the use of the seal on all future branch family members.

Unfortunately, the seal was still intact on Neji, and all who already had it. The Hyuuga Clan had long since lost the method of removing the seal. To counteract this, Hiashi had decreed it against the Clan rules for any main family members to activate the Cursed Seal.

With the seal no longer in use, it meant Neji and Tenten could marry freely, without the worry that any future children would receive the same curse that Neji had had to bear.

Along with eradicating the seal, Hiashi had improved as a parent. Hinata had always loved her father, but for a lot of her life, she hadn't liked him.

Ever since she had fought Neji during her first Chunin exam, Hiashi had started treating her slightly better. But the change had been slow and subtle. After the war, Hiashi seemed to change completely. He started training her properly, not in the brutal fashion he had used when she was younger.

Under this proper tutelage, Hinata had flourished, becoming stronger and successfully learning many of the clan jutsus. Hiashi had been so proud, even going so far as to officially reinstate her as the clan heiress last year. He'd told her that her new found strength, and pre-existing kindness, was just the sort of leadership that the Hyuuga clan needed in the future.

Hanabi had been pleased. Hiashi had always put immense pressure on her younger sister, and Hinata was glad to see Hanabi finally having a chance to relax.

Sometimes Hinata wondered what had sparked the change in her father. Hiashi Hyuuga had never been the sort to suddenly change all his views all of a sudden. Had he maybe been concerned over that year where she did nothing?

Yes it was a mystery to her, but she wasn't going to question it. Not when her father was showing her some semblance of affection for the first time since her mother had died.

After showering quickly, Hinata left her room. Quietly, she walked down one of the long corridors of the Hyuuga compound. Passing a clan member, she asked him to inform her father that she was leaving. The man nodded respectfully, and continued on his way.

After making her way to the kitchen and grabbing a bite to eat, Hinata bumped into Tenten as she was leaving.

"Tenten! Visiting Neji?" she asked. Her future cousin in law blushed.

"Just leaving, actually." she said.

Hinata nodded, a little embarrassed. Of course Tenten had been at the Hyuuga compound. That explained why Tenten had escorted her home.

Changing the subject, Hinata noticed something in Tenten's hand, and asked what it was.

"Oh, this?" said Tenten, holding the thing up. It was a newspaper. "It's just The Letter. I noticed it by the doorway and decided to have a read. It's pretty interesting actually. They have all this stuff about last night at Natsuki's."

Hinata paled. The Konoha Letter had reported on last night's dinner? That could not be good.

"C-can I see it?" she asked, stuttering. The older girl handed Hinata the newspaper, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Are you ok Hinata?" she asked, meaning the stutter.

"I'm fine!" replied Hinata, a little too brightly. "Just a bit… um… hungover from last night!"

"If you say so." said Tenten in disbelief. She wasn't going to push the issue. Hinata had had a rough night, what with Naruto coming back, and all. Tenten was sure Hinata must have been feeling very confused. Or maybe not. Hinata was different now. Surely she wasn't still in love with Naruto? It _had _been a long time after all.

"If you ever need to talk Hinata…" she said, voice trailing off. Hinata nodded, and smiled.

"Thank you Tenten. I'm sorry, but I've got to go." she said, before heading off in a random direction, newspaper clutched tightly in her delicate hands.

Tenten watched her walk off with a puzzled look on her face. After standing there for about a minute, she turned and went back inside. Neji would be up by now. Maybe he could help her figure out what was going on in Hinata's head.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Fox, the Hound and the Heiress<strong>_

_Back when the Konoha 11 were still adorable little genin, among them there was one 'secret' that pretty much everyone knew about. That secret, was of course, where the affections of the Hyuuga clan heiress, Hinata Hyuuga (now 20) lay._

_Back in the day, Ms. Hyuuga had harboured a large, and rather obvious crush on the village's own dead last, Naruto Uzumaki, who in turn, had always been blatantly obvious about his feelings for his blossom haired team mate, Sakura Haruno (20)._

_For all his strength and ever growing intelligence, it seemed Uzumaki never quite caught on to Hyuuga's feelings for him. Thus, the pale eyed beauty and the handsome blonde never got together._

_However, rumour has it, that sometime during the Invasion of Pain years ago, Hyuuga finally got up the courage to confess her feelings to Uzumaki. Unfortunately, nothing seems to have come of the supposed confession._

_After Uzumaki's departure a month after the defeat of madman, Madara Uchiha, Hyuuga spiralled into what seemed like a never ending depression. The normally cheerful heiress was barely seen leaving the house, disappearing off the social map completely. Friends grew concerned over this unusual behaviour. Many attributed it to Uzumaki's departure, while some in her family denied that there was anything wrong. When we at The Letter caught her father, Hyuuga clan head Hiashi Hyuuga (46), he only had this to say:  
>"There is nothing wrong with my daughter. She is simply taking some time off from the hectic life of a shinobi. The war was hard on her. It was hard on all of us."<br>When questioned about Uzumaki, Mr. Hyuuga immediately ended the interview._

_After a year in hiding, Hinata Hyuuga finally stepped out again in the arms of Kiba Inuzuka (20), her team mate and member of Konoha's matriarchal Inuzuka clan. It seemed that her new flame had managed to pull her out of her depression, and bring her back to society._

_The couple have since been going strong for three years, with rumours of an engagement spreading quickly through the village. Many speculate that after the wedding of Hinata's cousin Neji Hyuuga and Tenten (both 21) later this year, will soon be followed by the wedding of Inuzuka-Hyuuga._

_However, it seems that the return of Naruto Uzumaki is causing issues with the couple. The scene between Hyuuga, Inuzuka and Uzumaki was hostile. Hyuuga and Uzumaki shared a particularly intimate look, while tensions rode high between Inuzuka and Uzumaki._

_Will the Team 8 sweethearts stay together through the return of Konoha's most elusive shinobi? Or will Konoha see the greatest love triangle since the original Team 7? We here at The Konoha Letter promise to keep you updated on all the latest news on this, and other interesting stories._

Kiba threw down the newspaper. It landed on the kitchen floor, face down.

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever read!"

Akamaru looked up from his spot on the floor, and barked.

"Yes, it was that bad!" replied Kiba. He picked up the offending newspaper and scrunched it into a ball, which he then proceeded to throw at the wall.

Akamaru got up and picked up the newspaper ball. He carefully padded across the room and deposited the newspaper neatly into the rubbish bin, before walking over to where Kiba was sitting.

Kiba got off his chair and patted Akamaru on the head affectionately.

"I'm glad you're feeling better boy." he said to his ninken. Akamaru barked happily in response.

"I wish you hadn't been sick yesterday Akamaru. I really would have liked to have taken you to Natsuki's again. You really like the food last time we went, didn't you boy!"

"Arf!" barked Akamaru in agreement. Kiba stood up straight and headed towards the door. Akamaru followed.

"No Akamaru. Hana said you had to stay home for at least one more day. You're still not at full strength yet."

Akamaru whined in protest.

"I'm sorry Akamaru, but it's vet's orders! I really hate having to leave you, but I really need to go see Hinata, ok boy?"

If dogs could roll their eyes, then Akamaru would have. He barked again, this time meaning 'go on then, go see your girlfriend'.

Kiba grinned at his ninken and opened the door.

"I promise that when Hana says it's ok, we'll go out and train together! But for now, you just gotta take it easy for the day. See ya Akamaru!" he said before racing out the door.

* * *

><p>Hinata had been walking for a while. She wasn't really aware of where she was going, as she was too busy thinking.<p>

Her head was a mess. How was it that one person could be so influential in her life? How could he just show up? It was like he was screwing with her, playing some sort of cruel game.

Maybe she was being too dramatic. Naruto wouldn't do that. She was probably just confused, and misremembering things. Yes, that was it.

Hinata looked up to find herself outside the Aburame estate. Her feet had subconsciously led her there.

Yes, Hinata thought. Shino's a good listener. He'll know what to do to sort me out.

Shino had always understood Hinata. Back in their genin days, Shino had been the leader of their team, not Kiba, no matter what Kiba thought. Hinata had always admired his ability to be so strong, while not needing to be loud. He'd never been as vocal as Kiba, but he'd always gotten his point across.

Hinata stepped up to knock on the door. The door was answered by a member of the clan who Hinata did not know.

"Um… Hello. Is Shino here?" Hinata asked uncertainly. The clan member shook his head.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hyuuga but you have just missed him. He left on an ANBU mission this morning."

Hinata nodded. She wasn't surprised that the man knew who she was. Kiba and Hinata had often trained at the Aburame estate.

"Oh, ok. Do you know when he will be back?" she asked. The man shook his head once more.

"No, I do not, Ms. Hyuuga."

Hinata thanked the man politely and left.

When she was far enough away, Hinata let out a sigh. Now that Shino was in ANBU, he never seemed to be here. Which was bad foe Hinata, as he was the perfect person to talk to about things like this.

She needed someone to talk to. She would have talked to Tenten, but she was worried that the older girl would let something slip to Neji.

Knowing Neji, he would find her and give her some sort of lecture on defying your destiny and choosing to be with the one you love. He wouldn't be helpful at all, and only serve to confuse Hinata more.

Hinata went through a list of her closest friends.

Kiba was out, for obvious reasons. Sakura as well.

Hinata trusted the pink haired girl. She was an intelligent, capable medic-nin, who had saved Hinata's life before. But it just felt… wrong to talk to Sakura about something like this.

Sai maybe? No. Hinata didn't know the former Root member well enough. Same went for Chouji.

Definitely not Lee. He was lovely, but…

Ino was a really great friend, but she was probably dealing with the aftermath of last night. Hinata recalled the insults that had been flung from Ino to Temari and vice versa. The words that had been said, the harsh comments that had been traded… it had certainly not been pleasant.

Speaking of Ino and Temari…

Shikamaru. Hinata hadn't really spoken to him a lot. In fact, they barely knew each other. But he was intelligent, and had a sense of confidence about him. He was also known for being rather lazy, so as long as she went to him, he would probably listen.

That settled it. She would talk to Shikamaru. It may have been a whim, but for some reason, Hinata had a feeling that Shikamaru would help her.

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><p><strong>Yes, I know. It's a terrible chapter. I have really, really been busy though. Sorry about Hinata's severe OOCness. I don't know. I guess I'm finding it hard to get into her head. Same with Kiba. Hopefully I'll try and get updates on a regular basis, but I have exams coming up! So….. um…. Yeah… Leave a review!<strong>


	10. Making Conversation

**AN:** **Chapter 10! Whoop whoop, celebrate :D I'd like to dedicate my Author's Note to these people today:  
>acethehunted , AlucardY17, apocalyps24 , 3ls, batripe, bigbru39, BloodEureka, brnmac560, chelsearuls, Chischi, chrisgetsu45, D.S. Willow, DarkDesh, DARKNARUTO115, diego7288, Dragonteeth, druneko, EaSnowPw, ExplodingKunai, Festgiven, Fierce irbis, Flaming Eagle, gabyxx21, Gavedin, gt0627, happycheese,<br>Haru Kitsune, J'aime Manga, Kazemi Reikaze, KMT, lamontsage, le diosa, LooLoo09, Minders, necroking, nixnocent, OFWGKTA – Shadow, PandaxLove, PathKeeper, Pein09, raiton123, S1n harvest, shadowfox97, socram, SoulKingonCrack, Spyrofan777, Suave Jiraiya, the TimeDrifter, toonman24, Tristram Shandy, UNTensaZangetsu, wankelrotaryengine,  
>xx-I-love-books-xx<strong>

**These, my dear readers, are the 53 lovely people who have put this story on their alert and/or faves list! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Free cookies for you forever!  
>Now for some blatant self promotion… Please have a look at my new story, <strong>_**Heirs**_**, and leave a review. It would be amazingly helpful for improving my writing skills!  
>Also, someone review and tell me whether or not the short quote at the start of each chapter is any good! One last thing, sorry about this insanely long Author's Note _<br>****DISCLAIMER:**** Does anyone actually read my disclaimers? I don't own Naruto. Ownership will never come to me :(**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 – Making Conversation<strong>

_Absence make her heart grow fonder  
>While I'm conquering the last frontier<br>Lately I've found myself wondering out loud  
>Wondering what I was doing here<br>_- **Opshop**

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><p>To call Shikamaru a hard worker would a blatant lies. He was no more a hard worker than Chouji was a diet fanatic, or Kiba was an avid reader. Lazing around and watching clouds were his absolute favourite things to do.<p>

Unfortunately for him, he also happened to be what you would call 'a genius'. This little trait of his ensured that the Hokage assigned to him to many missions involving meticulous planning and strategy.

So when someone came knocking on his door, naturally he assumed it was a summons from the Hokage.

"You get it!" Temari called from the bathroom.

Shikamaru sighed, and got out of bed slowly, leaving the sheets a rumpled mess. He'd really been looking forward to sleeping in for a loooong time. Temari was lucky to wake up with only a light headache, considering that she had been the one to get them all kicked out.

Not that he really cared. Last night had been when his already icy relationship with Ino finally degenerated into enmity. Which was too troublesome for words.

Shikamaru trodded slowly out of the bedroom towards the door. Reaching one arm up to scratch his head, he opened the door to see a petite, dark haired girl standing outside.

"Hinata?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The girl twiddled her fingers and blushed lightly, averting her gaze to somewhere left of Shikamaru's head. Shikamaru felt his brain kick into action. He hadn't seen her twiddle her fingers for a long time. It was an old habit, one that he thought she no longer had.

"Hello Shikamaru." said Hinata, nervousness evident in her voice. "Did I wake you up?"

"Kind of, but whatever."

Hinata nodded, still not looking at him.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed apologetically.

Shikamaru shrugged in indifference. It wasn't as if Temari wouldn't have woken him up anyway.

"So did you want something?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you had a moment. I sort of wanted to talk to you about something, but I can come back later…"

Her voice trailed off.

Shikamaru looked down and realised that he had answered the door in his boxers. No wonder Hinata was avoiding looking at him.

"Oh, right. Now's fine, I'll just go change." he headed back inside, slightly embarrassed, and then turned back to Hinata. "I guess you can wait inside."

Hinata followed with a degree of uncertainty. Shikamaru left her in the living room as he went back into the bedroom.

Temari was out of the shower, fully dressed and ready to go. She nodded towards the living room.

"It's not that blonde pig is it?" she asked, resentment clear in her voice.

Shikamaru snorted.

"No. Do you really think I'd let her in? It's Hinata. She wants to talk to me about something."

Temari's eyebrows rose.

"Hinata?" she said in a softer tone. "Do you know why?"

Shikamaru thought about that. He and Hinata were friends, but not particularly close, so it probably wasn't something trivial.

A message from the Hokage? No, that couldn't be it. If it was shinobi business, Lady Tsunade would have sent someone like Kotetsu or Izumo, rather than go to the trouble of tracking down Hinata.

Hmmm…

Hinata had arrived in what seemed to be a nervous state. At first, he'd put it down to her natural modesty, and his state of dress. But that probably wasn't it. Hinata was innocent, but she was also a shinobi. His lack of clothing would have been embarrassing, but wouldn't reduce her to finger twiddling.

That was a habit he thought she'd broken years ago. And even when it had been something that she did a lot, she'd only really done it around…

Of course, That's what this was about.

"I think it's to do with Naruto. I don't really know why she's talking to me though." he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Ah. Rite." replied Temari. Temari may not have been a Konoha nin for long, but even she knew about the Love Dodecahedrons that Konoha shinobi seemed to specialise in. It helped that she subscribed to the Konoha Letter, of course.

Temari and Shikamaru exited into the living room together. Hinata was standing awkwardly by the door, not really sure what to do.

"Hey Hinata." said Temari with a smile. Temari liked Hinata. She was one of the few who'd stayed neutral during Shikamaru and Ino's break up. Temari admired the younger girl's spirit. She'd been there when the Hyuuga had gone head to head with her own cousin during the Chunin Exams, and she'd heard the story of how Hinata had stood up to Pain during the Konoha Invasion.

"Oh, hello Temari." Hinata relaxed a little, glad to see two _fully _-dressed people. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

Temari waved her hand.

"No, it's fine, I was already up. Thank you for waking up Mr. Lazy though."

Hinata smiled back at Temari, while Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"So what did you want to talk about Hinata?" he asked, changing the subject.

Hinata opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Sensing discomfort, Temari stepped in.

"Hey, I've got to go meet with the Hokage to arrange for Gaara and Kankuro to visit. How about you guys go get some breakfast? We can all walk into the village together."

Hinata nodded. Shikamaru remained silent, deciding to just go with whatever idea Temari had.

"Great!" chirped Temari, leading the way out the door.

* * *

><p>"What am I going to do?" Ino wailed. Sakura sighed. God, she'd forgotten how <em>emotional<em> Ino could get. Not that Sakura could blame her in this case.

"It'll all blow over eventually Ino." she said with what was meant to be a comforting pat on the back. "Besides, you know it was going to happen eventually. I mean, even _I_ could see that this whole thing was going to explode sooner or later."

Ino glared at her best friend.

"But I figured that when I finally decided to try and kill them, I'd do it in private! Where no one would see me! But instead, I had to get drunk and pick a fight at Natsuki's! Natsuki's Sakura!"

She buried her head in the cushion she was clutching.

"I can never show my face in Konoha again!" said Ino, voice muffled by the couch cushion.

"Think of it like this! Isn't all publicity good publicity?" Sakura said, attempting to console Ino.

"That is the biggest lie I have ever heard!"

"But you like being in the Konoha Letter!"

"Yeah, when it's about where I shop, or how great I look, or how I'm 'the embodiment of shinobi style'! Call me shallow, but that stuff is good! Being in the paper for getting drunk off my ass, screaming insults at my ex-boyfriend and wrecking a restaurant is not a good thing!"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but decided against it. The conversation was going in circles. The best thing to do would be to let Ino rant until she calmed down, occasionally interjecting with a soothing comment and sympathetic word.

Unfortunately for Ino though, Sakura had to get to work. She was already late.

"What! You're ditching me? What am I supposed to do? I can't go home, I'd have to go through the village! Everyone will just stare at me with their judgy little eyes! EVERYONE READS THE LETTER!"

The last sentence was almost yelled. Sakura backed away from her friend, and headed for the door.

"You're a ninja Ino. Just transform or something. I'm sorry, but I've got to go."

With that, Sakura left her apartment.

She loved her friend, but at the moment, Sakura just couldn't deal with Ino's newspaper drama. She didn't really want to sit there, sympathising and remembering the events of last night.

What she wanted- no- what she needed was to move forward, to focus on something non-personal. Heading to work fit that bill perfectly.

Nothing like hours of mixing medicines and fixing injuries to help you avoid thinking about yourself.

Hinata sat across from Shikamaru, eyes downcast, seemingly focused on the pastry in front of her.

Shikamaru swallowed a mouthful of coffee, his normally unfocused dark eyes now concentrated on the girl in front of him.

They had sat in near silence ever since Temari had left. Neither one of them was a big talker.

Shikamaru sighed. Unless Hinata asked him what she wanted to know, he would be there forever. How troublesome. It seemed he would actually have to start the conversation.

"So what did you want to talk bout?"

Hinata's head jolted upwards, startled. She'd been thinking. She was starting to have second thoughts about talking to Shikamaru, but now that he asked… well she didn't want to have woken him up for nothing.

"It's… well…" she said, uncertain.

"Let me guess. Last night's disaster?"

Hinata nodded, and bit her bottom lip. Right, he was a genius. He probably already knew exactly what they were here to talk about.

"I'm sorry about what happened with you and Ino last night. It-"

"It won't ever happen again." Shikamaru cut her off with a dismissive remark, surprised at the fact that he'd actually taken the effort to avoid that topic.

"Oh. I'm sorry I mentioned it." she said. She started picking away at her pastry.

He shrugged.

"So you want to talk about yesterday. Does it have anything to do with Naruto?" Shikamaru got straight to the point.

Hinata didn't reply. Her fingers ripped the flaky pastry into smaller pieces.

Shikamaru waited. What was the point of pressuring her into talking. When she was ready to respond, she would.

After a few moments, Hinata reached into her pocket and brought out a crumpled newspaper. She put it onto the table. It was open at page 10.

Shikamaru picked up the paper and started reading.

* * *

><p>Sitting on the bed, Tenten watched as her fiancé brushed his long, brown hair in front of the mirror. She reached out and offered him a hair tie.<p>

"You know what Neji?" she said. Neji put down his hairbrush, and turned to face Tenten.

"What Tenten?" he responded, accepting the proffered accessory.

"I will never, ever get over the fact that your hair is silkier than mine. Never." she stated with a grin, running her fingers through his hair. Neji smirked. He tied his hair up a few inched above the end.

"And it's the same length as mine to. You, Hinata, Hanabi, even your uncle! Seriously, is it just me, do all the Hyuugas have freakishly good hair? Is that your actual bloodline trait? Not Byakugan, but fabulous hair care?"

Neji rolled his eyes at Tenten's teasing. He walked towards her.

"Yes, that's it. The Byakugan is simply a front." he replied with good natured sarcasm. "So what was that you were saying about Hinata?" he asked, changing the subject.

Tenten stood up, leaving the bed messy .

"Oh right! I bumped into her as I was leaving. She seemed a bit, I don't know, distant, I guess?"

The two left the room and headed for the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" asked Neji.

"Well, you know what happened yesterday…" replied Tenten.

Neji nodded. The whole affair had turned into a farce. Fortunately, he'd been sensible enough not to drink, unlike almost everyone else. In fact, the only sober one's there were those formerly of Team Gai. Alcohol was never an option when you were on Team Gai. They'd all seen what happened after Lee even had the tiniest drop.

Neji shuddered at the though and Tenten looked at him.

"Drunken Fist." he replied simply. Tenten nodded, understanding him perfectly. Neji nodded for Tenten to continue her story.

"Hinata was leaving, and we had a bit of a chat. I was reading the Letter, which, by the way, was delivered to your door this morning!"

Neji snorted.

"I don't read that. It's for Hanabi. For some reason, she enjoys reading it.'"

"Riiiiight…" said Tenten in mock disbelief. "So, anyway. She asked what it was, I gave it to her. She went all pale, started stuttering, and walked off. It didn't really seem like she knew where she was going either."

"So, the newspaper startled her?" asked Neji, puzzled.

"I don't really know. I think so, but I also think it had more to do with what was _in _the newspaper. I mentioned it had another big spread on the 'Konoha 11'. Actually, there was a whole page on her."

"What was the page about?"

"I didn't quite get to it, but from what I read before Hinata took the paper, it was about… well… Naruto."

Neji's eyebrows shot up in concern.

"Naruto? Of course."

Neji loved his cousin. He admired her sense of perseverance, and her uncrushable spirit. When his shy cousin had started dating her Inuzuka team mate, he had been very happy for her. Mainly, he was glad to see her out of her room, doing something other than… whatever she'd done there for a whole year.

For three years, Hinata had been quite happy with Kiba. Neji thought she'd really grown. However, in the back of his mind, he'd held a sneaking suspicion that Hinata was still in love with Naruto. Not that he didn't want them to be together. In fact, he had been quite the adamant supporter of the boy who'd helped him find the courage to fight fate.

Since he'd heard the news of Naruto's return yesterday, Neji had had an underlying feeling of uneasiness for his cousin. He had hoped greatly that Nartuo's return would not affect her, but he hadn't believed it wouldn't.

Neji had hated the year after Naruto left. Hinata had really, well, broken down. He'd tried so hard to fix her, but it was like someone had flicked a switch in her mind. The lights were out in her eyes. She was recovered now, but Neji was concerned that she would spiral downwards again.

Neji relayed his thoughts to Tenten, who listened sympathetically.

"Hinata's strong though, Neji." she said. "It's been three years. She's happy. She just needs time to adjust, that's all."

Neji nodded, not quite believing his fiancée's words.

"I do hope you're right Tenten."

* * *

><p>"So to put it simply, you have absolutely no idea what's wrong with you?"<p>

Hinata nodded as she stared at the remains of the pastry. Her finger twirled around a stray piece of hair.

"I just… I don't know Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Before I say anything, I just need to ask one thing. Why on earth did you decide to talk to me about this? Isn't this something you should discuss with, I don't know, someone else?"

"I wanted to talk to Shino, but he's out on a mission. I would have spoken to Tenten, but with Neji, and the wedding…"

"And you couldn't well talk to Sakura could you?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Huh… well I'm not exactly the best person to talk to, but I guess I'll have to do."

He took another gulp of coffee, emptying the cup.

"From what I understand, you're happy with Kiba. You were 100% sure that everything you felt for him was unbreakable. But with Naruto back, you feel confused. You loved him for a long time, didn't you?"

It was more a statement than a question. Hinata gave no verbal response, but lifted her head to look at Shikamaru.

"Look, I think you should talk to Kiba about this."

Hinata jolted.

"W-what?" she exclaimed.

"You love Kiba. If anyone can help you sort out your feelings than it's him. Besides, that way you'll find out how you really feel."

Hinata shook her head quickly.

"No, no I can't! It'll hurt him too much!"

"Hurt him? Don't you think you'd hurt him more if you distanced yourself from him and ended up stringing him along?"

Hinata looked crestfallen.

"No… I'd never… I love him Shikamaru. Kiba is… he's just so bright. He's the light that saved me from darkness after…"

Shikamaru was silent. Yes, even he had noticed what happened to Hinata when Naruto left. Her downward spiral had been speculated upon by many people, including his mother.

Hinata looked up properly, new resolve in her eyes.

"Naruto… he's not… it's nothing. Just remnants of something that was there in the past. He left us. I… I can't forgive him for that."

Hinata seemed to believe her words. Shikamaru stopped himself from replying. He could hear the unspoken message, almost feel the emotions Hinata was now mentally locking back away. Hinata smiled at him.

"Thank you for listening to me Shikamaru. You've been very helpful."

Shikamaru smiled back, wondering whether she'd really needed advice at all. Hinata excused herself and left the café, leaving Shikamaru at the table with an empty cup of coffee, a plate of shredded pastry an a crumpled newspaper. Shikamaru pocketed the newspaper. Maybe Temari would like it. Or his mother.

Shikamaru waved down a passing waitress and asked what the time was.

"It's about quarter to twelve." cooed the waitress, batting her eyelashes at him. Ignoring this, Shikamaru thanked her and left the café.

* * *

><p>Who was she kidding? Hinata asked herself this as she left the café.<p>

Shikamaru was a genius. He could probably tell she was leaving the conversation in more of a muddle then before.

His advice was to speak to Kiba. But how could she do that? He was so… exuberant, so sure of himself. She was so shy, so confused. Now was not the right time.

Did she really believe what she'd said to Shikamaru? Did Naruto mean nothing to her?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar brown haired figure, and her heart stopped.

Kiba. Half of her wanted to run towards him and pour out every single thought in her head. The other half begged her to flee.

Her mind ached. Why did she feel that way? Why?

She needed to stop thinking, to stop feeling.

A hurricane of emotion battered the inside of her head, reducing logical thought to rubble.

She couldn't deal with this. Hinata chose which side of herself she wanted to obey.

She had to get out of there.

* * *

><p><strong>In an effort to actually get this chapter up, I've written most of it over various nights in bed. It's kind of a bad chapter. Well, it's a rather average chapter. Apologies for any major OOCness and rather bad writing on my part.<br>I was sad to see not a single review on my last chapter :( I don't bite! Leave a review, even if it's just a smiley face! I appreciate criticism! So... free cookies AND fondue for all reviews :D**


	11. Yesterday's Dream

**AN:** **AAAGH! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been sick, had a ton of studying to do, heaps of prior arrangements and on top of that, my dad took my laptop away to get 'fixed' (even though it wasn't broken) and I didn't get it back for a week.  
>Update's after this one might take awhile, simply because I am heading into my exams (first actual school exams ever for me :O !)<br>I've written lots of little scenes from later in the story, but unfortunately I'm not quite up to them in terms of the stuff that's actually posted.  
>One last thing! Since the latest manga chapter (chapter 559), it seems this story is officially AU. By the way, how did everyone else find the chapter? It completely and utterly blew my mind! I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't read it, but WOW it was good XD<br>Aufwiedersehen for now :)  
><strong>**DISCLAIMER:**** Ich besitze kein Naruto. Naruto ist das Eigentum von Masashi Kishimoto. (Feel free to correct my German, I really need all the help I can get if I'm going to pass that exam!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Yesterday's Dream<strong>

_I must be dreaming  
>It's only in my mind<br>Not real life  
>No I must be dreaming<br>_- **Evanescence**

* * *

><p><em>Flames, dark, glossy like oil. Burning up, racing up the posts, consuming, devouring everything in its path. The traitor stands there – laughing… Blue spiral, whipping towards him.<em>

_Can't stop it now._

"_No! Sasuke, we have to get out of here! The place is going to come down on top of us!"_

_He doesn't listen… he's lost in the frenzy, too caught up in the fight._

"_I'm serious! Sasuke-" he's looking up now, noticing what the Uchiha doesn't seem to._

_Beams, eaten by black fire, shredded by blue wind, too weak- collapsing._

"_Sasuke! The roof!" he is yelling now. He hears his voice call, desperate pleas for his best friend to leave. To continue the fight elsewhere._

_For a second, the dark haired boy stops. It's a second too long._

_The beams can't take it anymore. They crumble._

_Time slows- the roof, a slab of thick stone, falls through air like syrup. No… NO!_

_He sees everything. He sees the sudden surprise in Sasuke's face. The realisation that this is the end, there's nothing more for him. He's seeing the light, whatever little there may be left, flee Sasuke's dark eyes. There will be no more hatred now. He's hearing the splintering snap._

_Worst of all- some part of him, some tiny part, feels like this is what Sasuke deserved._

_It feels…_

_Relief._

_All thought, all sight is disappearing. Blankness descending as he thinks this, loathing whatever part of him that could see good in another's death._

Naruto awoke quickly, face damp with tears cried in his sleep. The nightmare was back.

For two weeks, Naruto had dreaded sleep. He dreaded letting himself fall into unconsciousness, for fear of having that dream.

He was reliving the memory. Every night since... that day… he had seen it. The images were imprinted on his brain, immovable.

He'd never forget, but did he want to?

Yesterday, he'd had an uninterrupted night of sleep, but at the cost of forgetting every about the proceeding night. Those lost moments had, unfortunately, left a whole bunch of questions which Naruto couldn't answer.

Naruto sat up, wiping his face slowly. He thought back to what he'd done yesterday.

* * *

><p><em>Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha, reacquainting himself with all the various stores and stalls. He'd left Ichiraku's a while ago, leaving behind that stupid newspaper. <em>

_He wandered aimlessly down road after road, greeting people and even signing the odd autograph. It was a rather strange experience._

_The last time he'd been in Konoha, it had been during a lengthy recovery. The village had been in tatters, or at least, compared to what it had used to be like. After the Invasion of Pain, almost everything had had to be rebuilt. Progress had been made, but when he left, the village had still been a shadow of its former self._

_It didn't help that straight after that, there had been the war. Many of the village's shinobi had died, leaving Konoha depleted in strength and resources._

_He grimaced at the thought. It had been a hard time for him. Not that it hadn't been for a lot of other people. But still…_

_Naruto was glad to see Konoha back on its feet, full of hustle and bustle again. It really was good to be back. _

_Naruto stopped outside the Konoha Hospital. Maybe he would visit Sakura. It wasn't like he had anything else to do today._

_He stepped into the atrium of the hospital. It seemed that the rebuilding had done a lot of good for the place. It was a lot bigger than he remembered. The ceiling was higher, the walls were brighter… it just looked so much better._

_He heard whispers as he walked across the room. Some even stopped and stared at him, though most were more subtle._

"_Is that him? He's taller than I imagined."_

"_No way! He's back!"_

"_Mummy, look! It's that guy from the paper!"_

_It felt strange being noticed in a positive way. It wasn't bad, just… different._

_Naruto headed for the main reception. He noticed that the girl stationed there had bright orange hair, in a slightly less bright shade than his old trademark jumpsuits. It was tied up in two pigtails, which seemed to defy gravity._

_The girl looked up at Naruto's approach, revealing red oval markings on her young face. For a second, she stared at him, before recognition dawned on her. She grinned, and jumped up from her chair._

"_Naruto!" she practically squealed. "Oh my gosh! You're back!"_

"_Uh-huh, I guess I am." Said Naruto, confused. Who was this person?_

"_You look so different! I almost didn't recognise you without all the orange!"_

_He nodded, smiling nervously as she babbled._

"_How long have you been back? Can you believe Konohamaru didn't tell me you were back? Or maybe you're just here to visit me! "_

_Finally, he realised who he was speaking too- or rather who was speaking at him._

"_Moegi!" he exclaimed, happy to have placed the face to the name._

_The sole female member of Team Ebisu stopped talking, startled at his sudden exclamation._

"_Haha, sorry Naruto!" she sat down again, folding her arms neatly on the desk in front of her._

"_It's all right. Now, um, I'm here to see Sakura."_

_Moegi sighed. _

"_Right. Of course you are." she said, a tinge of disappointment in her voice. "You're lucky she's not in the ICU today. That means you can probably go see her"_

_Naruto waited for a moment while Moegi checked the rosters. After being informed of Sakura's whereabouts, he thanked Moegi with a smile._

* * *

><p>Thinking about his chance encounter with Moegi, Naruto realised that he hadn't said hello to Konohamaru yet.<p>

Actually, there were a lot of things he hadn't had the chance to do yet.

He hadn't reunited with Iruka-sensei yet. He hadn't visited the memorial to talk to the Third, Jiraiya and his parents. He hadn't even unpacked his one backpack of stuff!

As he got dressed, Naruto made a quick mental note to do all those things after he ate breakfast.

He swore when he remembered there was no food in his apartment.

After dressing as quickly as possible, Naruto set out to the market. It was either that, or ramen for breakfast again.

Actually, ramen for breakfast sounded perfect. He could buy food later.

* * *

><p>All day yesterday, Kiba had searched for Hinata. Unfortunately for him, it seemed like his girlfriend was nowhere to be found.<p>

He'd tried going to the Hyuuga estate first, only to have Hanabi tell him rudely that Hinata had gone to visit Shino.

At the Aburame estate, he'd been told that yes, Hinata had been there, no Shino wasn't there, and yes, Hinata had gone somewhere else ages ago.

After that, Kiba had gone everywhere. He'd been to their favourite training ground, to Kurenai-sensei's house, the Academy, and even Tenten's house. He'd visited all her favourite stores and cafés, in hopes that he would see her.

Everyone he'd spoken to had told him that they'd seen her, but they had no idea where she went.

It was starting to feel like Hinata didn't want to be found. Which was why Kiba had decided to stop looking.

Yes, he needed to talk to her. But he didn't want to chase after her, especially if she didn't want to be caught.

Hinata was her own person. She was probably just really, really busy yesterday, doing Hyuuga clan training or something.

Kiba relayed these thoughts to Akamaru, who gave the dog equivalent of a snort. The ninken barked once.

"No, I don't need you to find her for me!" he replied. "Akamaru, you can't just track everyone!"

If dogs could roll their eyes, Akamaru would have at that moment.

* * *

><p><strong>KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK<strong>

"Hinata?" called Hanabi from outside. "Hinata get up!"

Hinata sat on her bed, not ignoring her sister, but simply not hearing her.

After meeting with Shikamaru yesterday, Hinata had not gone home.

When she had seen Kiba –no, when she had mistaken a civilian walking past for Kiba, she had gone into, what Hinata could only describe as 'panic mode'. She'd felt completely torn, logical thought completely shattered.

But it had not been Kiba. So she did not flee.

Instead, she'd walked through the main village, past the Hokage's office, past the Academy, and out to the edge of Konoha, to where the cemetery was found.

The Konoha Cemetery was a place of remembrance, where the memories of those who had passed could be remembered by those they had left behind.

Hinata often visited the large Hyuuga section in the cemetery. Sometimes she was there simply to tend to the graves of her ancestors, leaving fresh flowers and cleaning the headstones. Other times, she would visit with Neji, and sit with him while he remembered his father.

Most of the time though, Hinata went to visit her mother.

Hikari Hyuuga had been 26 years old when she died. The love of Hiashi Hyuuga's life, Hikari had died only months after giving birth to her second daughter.

There were hardly any pictures of Hikari Hyuuga around the Hyuuga estate, but Hinata didn't need them to remember her mother of six years. Hikari Hyuuga had been beautiful, or at least, she had been the most beautiful women in the world in Hinata's eyes. She remembered her mother's voice well. It was a singing sort of voice, the kind that made you feel like everything in the world was perfect, even when it wasn't. On the rare occasions when Hinata had heard her father laugh, it had been her mother's doing.

She'd been kind too, oh so kind and loving. Hinata remembered how she'd going running to her mother after being scolded by her father. Hikari would simply wrap her in her arms, console her, tell her everything would be all right. Her dark purple hair would brush against Hinata's face, and she would sneeze. The two would laugh, and Hinata would forget that she'd even been sad in the first place.

In the rare moments when Hiashi and Hinata bonded, her father would say how much she looked like Hikari. Sometimes he would tell Hinata stories of her mother, things she used to do, places she used to go. On the rarest of occasions, Hiashi would say how much Hinata reminded him of her mother, how gentle they both were, and how delicate. His words would make her feel loved, but they would be accompanied with this sad, questioning look, so different to her father's regular expression.

It seemed though, that this look had only started appearing on her father's face in the past few years. Or maybe Hinata had simply never noticed it before, and simply cherished the fact that her father was actually speaking to her, instead of lecturing her.

The one thing Hinata remembered most about her mother though, was the darkness. Most of the time when Hinata was young, her mother lived up to her name. She embodied the name Hikari, which meant light. Hikari had shone brightly, the most cheerful and warm person you'd ever meet.

This was the side of her that Hinata saw most often. But there were moments, fleeting passages of time when the light in her mother's eyes dimmed, and she became… restless, lethargic. She had tried to hide it from Hinata, but even her six year old eyes could see that in those brief moments, her mother was different.

These moments would come and go, never too frequent, never lasting for too long. But as Hinata grew older, she could see that those moments were becoming days, which became weeks, which became months, and that the intervals between them were getting shorter.

From what Hinata remembered, it had been the worst she'd ever seen it around Hanabi's birth. Her mother had retreated from the world, shutting herself off from most of the clan, only allowing Hiashi and Hinata to see her. Before her death though, she'd gotten better, freeing herself from the darkness once more.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"Hinata! I know you're in there!"

Hinata's train of thought was broken by her sister's voice. Slowly, she stood up to answer the door.

Hanabi stood there, looking rather disgruntled.

"Father wanted to ask if you were ok." she said, brushing a strand of dark brown hair out of her face.

"Thank you Hanabi. Please tell him that I am fine." replied Hinata.

Hanabi snorted.

"Tell him yourself! You're up, aren't you?" she rolled her eyes. "I'm not a messenger! Besides, I'm late somewhere."

Hinata watched as her sister turned and flounced off rather rudely. She was probably going to see Konohamaru. Hinata sighed, and left the room, shutting the door carefully behind her.

She found her father sitting at his desk in his office, looking over some sort of scroll. He motioned for her to sit in front of his desk. He put the scroll away.

"Hinata. I see that Hanabi has woken you up. "

"No father, I was already awake." she replied, shaking her head.

"I see." He nodded his head slowly.

"Did you need to see me for something?" she asked politely. Hiashi cleared his throat.

"I merely wanted to see if you were ok. I noticed that you did not leave your room after returning home yesterday, as well as not being up for breakfast earlier. Is everything ok? Are you unwell?"

Hinata shook her head again, a little surprised at her father's concern.

"No, no. I'm fine… I was just… tired. That's all."

Hiashi looked at her with that trademark Hyuuga stare, a combination of disbelief and judgement. The head and the heiress sat in silence while he mulled over her statement.

After a pause, Hiashi broke the silence, seemingly accepting her words.

"Very well then, I am glad to see you are well. Do you have any plans for the day?"

"I was planning to visit mother again. I went yesterday as well."

Hiashi nodded slowly. Hinata continued.

"You… you could come with me?" she asked. "You have not been in a while, father."

Hinata saw her father stiffen for just a second, like he always did when she mentioned her mother.

"You look just like her, you know." he said, changing the subject. "You have her hair."

Hinata smiled softly, nodding.

"You're mother… she was special. In every way."

"Father… tell me about how she died."

The words left her mouth too quickly, before she realised what she was saying. Shock was evident on Hiashi's face, but Hinata could not make much else out.

She was sure he would be angry. Her father did not speak of her mother often, and Hinata had never, ever thought to bring up her death, of all things.

To her surprise, his expression softened.

"Why do you want to know, Hinata?"

"I just… You've never told me."

"I see."

He stopped talking and stood up, turning to the window behind him. Hinata was expecting the anger, the stoniness to come now, but instead, he continued speaking, in a gentler tone than she'd ever heard before.

"I do not know if how much you remember of your mother. Do you remember how bright she was, how full of joy?"

"I do. But father, I also remember… she was not always like that, was she?"

"You are correct Hinata. Your mother was kind, sensitive, happy and wise. But there were periods of time when she would be anything but. During these times, your mother walked in darkness. She described it once as a dream, one so real, yet so shadowed, she felt like all the life had been sucked out of her. These moods, she tried to hide them from you, but sometimes they just lasted for too long, and you would catch a glimpse."

Hinata murmured an agreement.

"You were six years old when Hanabi was born. Your mother, well, during that time, she descended further into that sadness, that emptiness than I'd ever seen before. I tried so hard to get her to go see a medic nin, but she insisted that she was ok. She always said that she would get through it, and usually she did. But this time was different. We Hyuuga didn't need our Byakugan to see that she was fading, that whatever light remained in her was dimming."

Hiashi's voice was lower now, more wistful.

"For a month or so, there was hope. She started to get better, coming out of her room, taking visitors, playing with you and Hanabi. She shone again. But out of the blue, she started waning again, and in a week, her light went out. She just… faded away."

Hinata's head was lowered, to hide her tears. She lifted a hand to wipe them away, and looked up to see her father watching her.

"I…I'm so sorry father."

"Do not be ashamed to cry Hinata." he said with kindness. He looked right into her eyes. "You are her spitting image, you know? You both possess this kindness, a need for other people. She was gentle and calm, just as you are. You share all her strength Hinata, but you also share her one weakness."

"What do you mean father?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.

"It may not seem it sometimes, but I worry about you Hinata. You are too much like her. I worry that you will end up like her too."

She saw something in his eyes while he said that. A terrible concern, a deep sadness that she didn't know existed in this stoic man she called her father.

She broke the gaze, standing up. Hesitantly, she moved around the desk, and did something she never thought she would do.

Hinata hugged him. He didn't react at first, but slowly, his arm reached up to pat her on the back, a little awkwardly.

"I'll try father." she said quietly. "I'll try."

* * *

><p><strong>It's 3:30 in the morning over here right now, so sorry about any mistakes! Ok so pretty much nothing happened in this chapter, except for some awkward character bonding. Sorry but I'm already incredibly late with the update, aren't I? Leave a review (and go All Blacks! We are totally gonna win the World Cup!)!<strong>


	12. The Art of Avoidance

**AN:** **Aaaaaaand I'm back! Hi everyone! Look! I am alive :) I'm sorry about the huge long wait, but my exams are finally over! I've missed you all! A quick update on where this story is going:  
>I've already written half of an epilogue to this story, and I know how I want it to end. It's getting there that's the problem 0.o I also know sort of the basic plotline, but there are details that I need to establish. Thanks for your support guys!<br>****DISCLAIMER:**** Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This story is the property of me. Now excuse me, I have a craving for evil tea…**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – The Art of Avoidance<strong>

_We still live in the same town now don't we  
>But I don't see you around anymore<br>I go to all the same places  
>Not even a trace of you<br>_- **Paramore**

* * *

><p><em>It was a slow day at the hospital, which is why one of Konoha's undisputed best medics was sitting on an empty bed in an empty room, staring blankly out the window.<em>

_Or at least, that's what Sakura told herself._

_It had nothing to do with the fact that, for the second time in three days, Sakura was tired of work. Tired of doing nothing with her time but eat, sleep and show up at the hospital._

_She never thought she'd ever get sick of it. Heck, for the last four years, she'd done practically nothing but work, never once stopping to ask herself whether she wanted anything more. It was only in the last few days that she'd gotten restless._

"_Taking a break?" _

_Startled, Sakura whipped her head around to see who had interrupted her moment of peace._

"_Oh." she said in relief. "It's just you."_

_The blond shinobi leaned against the doorway and grinned._

"_Nice to see you too Sakura. Working hard I see."_

_Sakura snorted._

"_We're not exactly swamped with work right now."_

_Naruto nodded, but didn't answer. Awkwardness hung in the air._

_Sakura sat, suddenly tense. The unease in the room unnerved her. It surprised her as well. Naruto as her old teammate, and friend. They'd known each other for years. Logically, there shouldn't be any sense of discomfort left in their relationship._

_Too bad logic was kind of failing for Sakura right now._

_Finally, Naruto spoke._

"_How's the hangover?" he asked, with the hint of a smirk._

"_Non-existent. Being a medic-nin has its perks you know. How's yours?"_

"_I don't get hangovers. It's a jinchuuriki thing. Being the human container for a psychotic demon has its perks you know."_

_To her surprise, the line was not delivered with bitterness or anger, but in a joking, very Naruto way. It was strange hearing him talking about the Kyuubi so light heartedly. A few years ago, it would have been a different story._

_It seemed like a lot of things had been surprising Sakura about Naruto lately._

"_Right." Sakura stood quickly, brushing non-existent dust off her spotless uniform. She looked up at Naruto. He didn't move, just stayed where he was, completely casual._

"_Why are you here? To lecture me on the consequences of drinking?" she asked bluntly,second question laced with sarcasm. The words came out sounding a little too harsh, even to her ears. Sakura saw Naruto react to her statement, a quick flash of surprise crossing his face. _

"_Do I need a reason to visit?" he asked, crossing his arms and raising a blond eyebrow._

_Sakura opted not to reply. They stood, in a silent standoff again, faces serious. Sakura found herself wishing that one of them would say something, anything to stop this conversation heading downhill._

_He broke the silence. _

"_Is it that hard to think that maybe I just wanted to say hello to an old team mate?" _

_His expression softened a fraction, but only a little. Sakura winced inwardly, but remained silent._

"_What happened last night?" he asked._

_Sakura raised both her eyebrows. That had not been what she was expecting him to say._

"_What do you mean?" she finally said._

"_I don't remember most of it. It's a side effect of, well, the whole no hangover thing."_

_Sakura nodded._

"_Right. I see."_

"_That's why you have to tell me what happened? I was reading that tabloid, the Konoha Letter, this morning. You know the one right?"_

"_Of course I do."_

"_Right, yeah. Well, I don't know, but it said things. It said, well, a lot of things. Like a fight between Ino and Temari and Shikamaru, and you passing out drunk, and there was also some stuff about Hinata and m- just some other things about break ups and 'scandals'."_

_Naruto brought a hand up to brush his hair from his eyes, in an almost nervous gesture. _

"_How much… how much of that stuff is actually true?"_

_Sakura sighed. She'd already had this conversation with Ino._

"_All of it."_

_His eyes went wide, reminding Sakura of a younger Naruto. Sakura suddenly felt the urge to laugh, whether it was at his shocked expression, or just at this nervous situation. For her, the mood seemed to have lightened with that one facial movement_

"_Everything's true. Ino and Temari destroying a five-star restaurant over Shikamaru… that might be something you want to talk to someone else about. All that other stuff, that's probably true, though it's also probably completely over-exaggerated and overblown. As for me passing out… well I guess medical ninjutsu isn't the only thing I learnt from Lady Tsunade."_

_She smiled at her attempt at a joke. He didn't._

"_Right… How long?"_

_Sakura furrowed her brow, confused._

"_What do you mean, 'how long?"_

"_I mean, how long has all this stuff been going on? Shikamaru and Temari, Ino and Chouji, Neji and Tenten… all of this 'stuff'?"_

_Sakura paused to think._

"_I guess… it probably started just after you…" her voice trailed off. She looked towards him apprehensively, not wanting to broach the subject._

"_After I left. Of course." Naruto's face seemed to darken a bit. He looked towards the far wall, staring past Sakura._

"_Do you ever…" he said, voice taking on a… wistful?... tone. "Do you ever think that everyone has changed so much? It's strange to think…"_

"_You've grown too Naruto." Sakura said, though she wasn't sure whether he was still talking to her. "You've changed, so much from that brat that you used to be back when we were younger."_

"_I guess so… but it's different, you know?" he replied. "It's like everyone has grown up, yet I've stayed the same. Just me. Alone."_

_He lifted his gaze till he was staring out the window._

"_Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I'd stayed in the village. If I'd chosen to live my life instead of chasing after a lost cause. Would I have been Hokage by now? Would I have been happily engaged, like Neji? Can you believe that I used to be so sure that one day I'd marry you Sakura? God, I was naïve."_

_Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto continued._

"_But now everything, everyone, has changed. They've all moved on with their lives, and I'm still stuck in the past, not sure what my place is here now. I bet you all hated me for leaving, didn't you?"_

_His voice was quieter now, but faster, like he couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth._

"_Don't you ever wish we could go back? Just, go back to when we were all genin, with absolutely no idea how life was going to turn out?"_

"_I…"_

"_I miss how things used to be."_

_His statement hung in the air, tainting the atmosphere of the room with its mixture of regret and longing. She could feel it, almost see it._

_Everything he'd just said, had been absolutely correct. That was _exactly_ what Sakura wanted, yet at the same time, it was exactly the _opposite _of what she wanted. But that was the problem._

_Sakura was smart. And she knew that there was no point reliving the past, as you couldn't go back, no matter how hard you tried. Unfortunately, this didn't stop her from reminiscing, nor did it stop her from only remembering the bad._

_She saw them. All the negative memories. The day he had almost died at the hands of Haku. The day he had left them, forever. The day he had tried to kill her. And then finally, that day in the rain, when the last shred of herself had seemed to disappear into the dull, grey air._

_How she hated being reminded of these moments._

_Again, Naruto broke the silence. He looked up properly at Sakura, and smiled that old, fake, Naruto smile._

"_Sorry about that." he said. "Uh, I guess I just majorly bummed you out, didn't I?"_

_Sakura shook herself out of her memories, out of her transfixed state. She returned his smile with a blank stare._

"_You know, at least not everyone has changed, right?" he said to her vacant face. "I mean, when I cam back, it felt like everything was different. But, you're still the same, aren't you Sakura?"_

"_I…I…"_

_No. That was a lie. Or was it? Yes. No. Ugh. She wasn't going to talk about this._

"_I think you should go now." This was said in a monotone, no trace of emotion._

_When Naruto didn't move, she fled the room herself, leaving the blond ninja behind._

* * *

><p>Sakura was not proud of the way she had acted yesterday. It had been… out of character. She prided herself on being composed. A medic-nin had to be. They had to practise control, of their chakra, and to some extent, of their emotion. Otherwise, well, bad things could happen.<p>

Her mastery of control was almost perfect. In the seven years in which she had been a medic-nin, she had developed and honed her chakra control, until it was completely precise. She'd always been good at control. Back when she was a genin, it had been the only thing that she was better at than the rest of her team.

Over the past few years, Sakura had extended that chakra control over her feelings. Four years ago, she had still been emotional, letting sadness and anger take control sometimes. But now, these emotions had no place in her work. She'd learned to distance herself from her patients, feel nothing but the direction of her chakra streaming through her system. Eventually this emotional lockdown had spread to her everyday life as well, to the point where sometimes, Sakura was no longer sure if she could really _feel _at all.

Yes, Sakura was the epitome of control. But running away because a question made her feel uncomfortable? That had not, in any sense of the word, been controlled.

So of course she was regretting it now. Her grip on herself had weakened, and she had just… _run_. It was unusual to say the least.

But why had her control slipped?

This was the question that was running through the mind of one of Konoha's undisputed best medic-nins, who sat on an empty bed, in an empty room, avoiding the world in Konoha Hospital.

In this part of the Land of Fire, the wind oft

* * *

><p>en blew, scattering leaves along makeshift paths in the forest. The trees here were thick, creating an effective border between the Land of Fire, and its small neighbour, the Land of Rivers.<p>

Not many ever dared to set foot into the forest here. Rumours, rumours of terrible things spread about this particular patch of land. Those who came across, looking for access in, or out of the Land of Fire, usually chose to leave it alone, in favour of much more easily crossable border checkpoints. However, there were those who weren't afraid. Some though, only the bravest, most foolish of people, ventured in.

It was said they those who went in, never came out.

The woods were a world unto their own, teeming with unknown qualities and undiscovered wildlife. Here, amongst the deep foliage, that many things were hidden. Some were small, like a squirrels winter nut stash, or a well hidden bird's nest. Some were larger, like the charred, gutted remains of an old abandoned base, that used to belong to a madman.

It was into this isolated world that he stepped into, after weeks of darkness. The dappled sunlight glinted on his pale skin, but he moved more quickly into the shadows. He felt the breeze blow, gently caressing his face. He stretched, exercising the muscles which had remained in stasis for too long. He felt his body respond, and the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips.

It felt… _good_… to be free.

* * *

><p>Neji walked down the long hallway of the Hyuuga estate, cream coloured scroll clutched tightly in his hand. The almost silent sound of his footsteps seemed to echo, amplified by the lack of people in this part of the hallway.<p>

As Neji approached his destination, he glanced down at the document in his hand. He'd received it from the Hokage yesterday, and he'd been instructed to deliver it to Hiashi immediately. Unfortunately, after receiving the document, he'd met up with Tenten and gotten a little… distracted. So here he was, delivering it a day late.

He heard his uncle's voice drifting down the hallway. Faintly at first, but it grew louder the closer he got.

"_.. She shone again. But out of the blue, she started waning again, and in a week, her light went out. She just… faded away."_

It was a strange tone, one that Neji had never really heard before. Unusually gentle, and emotional, nothing like the stoic tone he normally used. Neji was not one to pry, but he wondered who his uncle was talking to, and who he was talking about.

"_I…I'm so sorry father."_

Neji recognized the soft voice of his cousin, and stopped. Hinata was in her father's office? Now that was something that did not often happen. A hushed catching of breath was heard from the office, and Neji felt like he was intruding.

Maybe he should come back later?

"_Do not be ashamed to cry Hinata."_

Neji could hear actual tenderness in his uncle's voice, not something usually associated with the icy head of the Hyuuga clan.

"_You are her spitting image, you know? You both possess this kindness, a need for other people. She was gentle and calm, just as you are. You share all her strength Hinata, but you also share her one weakness."_

"_What do you mean father?"_

The voices were louder now. Neji realised that he had walked all the way down the rest of the hallway without noticing, and was now standing outside Hiashi's office. The heavy wooden door was slightly ajar.

Neji was transfixed by the goings on in the office. He'd barely ever heard Hiashi like this before, especially not with Hinata. The only time he remembered Hiashi sounding sad was... With a start, he realised that his uncle was talking about his aunt.

Aunt Hikari had died when he was seven years old. She'd always been nice to Neji, but in a way, she had always been a mystery to him. She'd been the one to comfort him over his father's death, hugging him and telling him that he would always have a place with herself and Hiashi. She'd been like a mother, albeit one that disappeared occasionally with no warning. Neji knew, now that he was older, that Aunt Hikari had been fragile, not as strong as he had thought.

His aunt was the only one that had been able to bring a smile to Hiashi's face after Hizashi's death. In the 14 years since her death, Neji had seen his uncle smile but once. That had been when Hinata had recovered from her 'breakdown'. Even then, the smile had been small, and barely noticeable.

From the little that he'd heard drifting from the interior of the office, Neji had deduced a lot about the nature of why Hiashi acted the way he did towards Hinata. It seemed that Hinata was like her mother in more ways than one.

"_It may not seem it sometimes, but I worry about you Hinata. You are too much like her. I worry that you will end up like her too."_

Sorrow. It was ingrained deeply in that statement. Sorrow and regret.

Neji heard the voices stop. He reached to knock, when something made him stop again.

"_I'll try father." _

Hinata 's voice was so quiet, so quiet.

"_I'll try."_

Silence followed the exchange, but this time, Neji knew better than to interrupt.

A few moments later, Hinata slowly left the office. She started at the sight of Neji, who nodded in greeting.

"Neji… how long have you been standing there?" she asked, uncertain.

Neji shook his head.

"Not long." Neji decided against letting Hinata know what he'd heard. He beckoned towards the door "Is your father free now?"

Hinata nodded, and Neji thanked her. She turned to leave, when Neji realised that he had something to tell her. It seemed he was playing messenger for more than one person today.

"Hinata. Wait for a moment."

She whipped around quickly, eyes wide.

"Kiba came by yesterday. Hanabi was supposed to tell you, but she forgot. I saw him in the village yesterday as well. It seems that he's looking for you."

Neji watched Hinata's reaction carefully for any signs of distress. When he said Kiba's name, Hinata furrowed her eyebrows, just a little bit. She seemed uneasy.

His cousin nodded once more, a precise, almost clinical nod, before turning and heading down the hall, faster than before.

Neji watched after her intently. There was something wrong with the way she was acting today, the way she positioned herself, the way she moved. Small things, nothing too serious.

Quieter than usual, staying in her room longer, an upset air around her. Just little things, all of which could be explained by a bad day, or a headache.

But the last time he'd seen these signs…

As he watched Hinata disappear down the hall, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Neji. You may come in."

Neji stepped into the office and closed the door.

* * *

><p>So Kiba was looking for her? Of course he was.<p>

Hinata sighed, stepping into her room and sitting down on her bed. The spot was still rumpled from earlier this morning.

She stared at the opposite wall. Hung there was her genin team photo.

Kurenai-sensei was standing behind the three genin of Team 8, kindly smile gracing her beautiful features. She looked not directly at the camera, but was rather watching her young team.

Hinata stood in the middle. Her hair was short, her eyes glancing slightly to the left. She was blushing lightly, but she was smiling. She was twiddling her fingers, like she was wont to do back then. Hinata was glad that she had grown out of that particular habit.

Shino, the unofficial leader of Team 8, stood to Hinata's right, distancing himself a little. The light was glinting of his dark glasses, adding a certain air to his already mysterious appearance. In this picture, Shino was clearly uncomfortable. It looked like he was attempting to shrink even deeper into the cowl of his coat.

In contrast, Kiba, on Hinata's right, looked completely at ease. He was grinning widely, like he was the happiest, most relaxed guy in the world. Akamaru sat on his head. Gosh, he had been so small back then. Akamaru too.

Kiba was probably worried about her. For years they'd been practically inseparable. Even before they had started dating, they'd been good friends and teammates. Excluding _that_ _year_ , they had trained with each other (and Shino) at least once a day. Shino had left their training sessions after he joined ANBU, but Kiba and Hinata had kept it up.

Hinata knew it was unusual for her to not even talk to him for two days. He was probably worried that something was wrong.

Was something wrong?

Hinata knew the answer, but for some strange reason, she didn't want to admit it. So instead, she pushed the question out of her mind, and thought of the talk she'd had with her father.

"…_We Hyuuga didn't need our Byakugan to see that she was fading, that whatever light remained in her was dimming... You share all her strength Hinata, but you also share her one weakness..."_

"…_You are too much like her. I worry that you will end up like her too."_

Her mother… the light of her father's life… the light that had been extinguished much too soon.

"She was just like me…" Hinata whispered quietly, though there was no one to hear her.

"…_She started to get better, coming out of her room… She shone again…"_

Fragments of her father's words haunted her, drifting in a loop through her mind.

"…_out of the blue, she started waning again, and in a week, her light went out."_

Hinata turned her head left, and looked out the window. The sun was at its peak, high in the sky. . It was later than she thought, maybe mid-afternoon.

But not too late to visit her mother.

* * *

><p>"Ino? Ino, come on, come out already!"<p>

"Chouji, I can never come out! I'm so _humiliated_!"

Chouji sighed as he stood over his girlfriend. Ino sat despondently on her couch, clutching a pillow.

"Ino, seriously. Your dad wants to see you!"

Ino shook her head.

"He just wants to lecture me about that stupid restaurant incident! I know it!"

"…" Chouji sighed yet again, this time in frustration.

"I'm sure everyone's forgotten about it by now Ino… Come on, you don't see Shikamaru and Te-"

"DON'T. MENTION. THEM!" Ino exclaimed, throwing down the pillow. "Not a word!"

Chouji bent down to pick it up, and placed it back onto the couch.

"Ino…"

Ino sniffed dramatically, and looked up at Chouji.

"Yes Chouji?"

Choujii took a deep breath in, and steeled himself for Ino's reaction.

"Don't you think you might be overreacting a tiny-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence before being hit by a Mind-Body Swap Jutsu. The next thing he knew, Chouji was slamming the door to Ino's apartment, locking himself out.

* * *

><p>The Hyuuga estate was on the opposite side of Konoha from the Konoha cemetery. Hinata didn't feel the need to hurry, so it would be a long, peaceful walk.<p>

It was another typical summer afternoon. It was not as hot as yesterday, or the day before, but it was still quite warm. As Hinata walked the busy streets, she saw familiar faces everywhere.

A bewildered looking Chouji waved to her as she walked past Ino's apartment. She waved softly in return . It seemed that either Ino wasn't home, or Ino was mad.

Passing a small café, she noticed Shikamaru and Temari dining inside. She didn't stop to say hello, nor did they see her.

She caught a glimpse of pink in one of Konoha Hospital's windows. After walking past there, Hinata felt like she was being watched. The feeling made her turn back, to look up at the Hospital again.

It was only Sakura. The medic-nin shot her a tense smile in response to Hinata's relieved wave, and shut the curtains on the room she was in. Strange…

Outside the Academy, Tenten was taking a class. It seemed that she had managed to rope Neji into showing her students the Byakugan. Neji looked somewhat frazzled. It was obvious he wasn't good around kids.

Hinata smiled when she saw that. It was so… sweet seeing Neji and Tenten together like that. Her cousin and future cousin-in-law did not notice her passing, too absorbed in their lesson.

The last major landmark in Konoha which Hinata passed before reaching the cemetery was the Hokage's office. Here the sensation of paranoia returned to Hinata. She walked quicker, just a fraction.

"Hinata!"

For a moment she stopped dead, whirling around to find the voice. She knew who it was, and god, hearing their voice made her uneasy. Quickly, she turned again, choosing to leap into the trees for the rest of her journey.

Having left the hustles-bustle of Konoha's main streets , she felt calmer. The quiet, isolation of the outskirts appealed to Hinata, considering her state of mind. Her sense of anxiety had all but faded once she finally reached the cemetery.

There weren't a lot of people there. Mostly civilians, but a few that Hinata recognised. There was that purple-haired ANBU captain. Yugao? She had loved Hayate Gekko, the proctor that had been killed during Hinata's first Chunin Exam. Hinata did not know the details, but she knew that the coughing exam proctor's death had been caused by a ninja from Sunagakure.

There were one or two Academy students tending to the gravestones, cleaning and dusting them, and adding fresh flowers to the graves.

Hinata walked through the cemetery, passing the gravestones with care.

"Hinata?"

Startle, Hinata turned around, to see a smiling face.

"Kurenai-sensei!" she exclaimed quietly. She looked around. "Is little Kasumi with you?"

The crimson eyed woman shook her head.

"Konohamaru is watching her for me. He offered, and I was glad to have a day to myself."

She glanced forlornly at the grave behind her, a bunch of red carnations lying on the headstone.

"Visiting Asuma-sensei?" Hinata followed her former sensei's gaze. Kurenai nodded.

"I wish he could see Kasumi now. She looks just like him." Kurenai smiled, crouching down and gently brushing the headstone with her hand.

"He would have been proud of her, I'm sure." replied Hinata softly.

Kurenai straightened up, and gave Hinata a questioning look.

"Visiting your mother?" she asked. Hinata nodded. "Any particular reason?"

"Not really, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata shook her head, as if waking herself up. "I mean, I just… um… I've just got some things on my mind."

"I see." replied Kurenai, a slight frown on her face. "Kiba came to look for you yesterday."

Kurenai watched her former student's response, noting the subtle changes in her face and posture. Hinata's delicate features crumpled ever so slightly at the mention of her boyfriend's name. Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything ok with you two?" asked Kurenai kindly. She would hate for something to have happened with Kiba and Hinata. She had seen what happened to the dynamics of Asuma's old team once Ino and Shikamaru had split up. The team had been completely broken up, unable to work successfully with each other. To think, they had once been the next generation of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho group. With Shino off in ANBU, Kurenai's team was already split. It may have been sentimental, but Kurenai wanted to keep the rest of her team together.

The atmosphere in the cemetery was quiet, made quieter still by Kurenai's question. Hinata bit her lip, and shook her head.

"There is nothing wrong with Kiba and I." she said, assertiveness creeping back into her voice. Hinata's pale eyes flicked towards the right quickly, looking out into the trees that surrounded the cemetery. Looking back at her former sensei, Hinata decided to change the subject.

"Naruto Uzumaki's back." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Saying his name brought a tidal wave of thoughts crashing through her brain.

"Is he now?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow, contemplating the thought. Hinata pressed her fingers together in that all too familiar nervous position. The movement caught Kurenai's eye, and Hinata saw the woman's expression change.

"Kurenai-sensei?"

Quickly, like the ninja she was, Kurenai's broke into a relaxed smile. Hinata sensed something off, but nothing seemed obviously wrong.

"Look at the time! I've got to go pick up Kasumi!"

Startled by her sudden change of mood, Hinata could do nothing but nod. The older women said her goodbyes, and left the cemetery.

Hinata stood, a little confused for a moment, before returning to her former goal.

* * *

><p>The sky in this part of Fire Country was a blank blue canvas, not a smear of white tainting it, aside from the large ink bird that soared at high speed.<p>

On it, sat four ANBU members, a cat, a bear, a bug and a bird.

They had been travelling for a day now, but had covered twice the distance they would have on foot. Soon, they would reach their destination.

The members sat in silence, each contemplating the mission ahead of them.

The cat-masked ANBU, who was captain of this particular team, spoke up.

"Sai, how long until we reach our destination?"

The bird-masked ANBU turned from his position at the head of the ink bird.

"It should only be a minute or so Captain Yamato."

The cat nodded, and the silence returned, save for the sound of the wind rushing past them, and the quiet buzzing of some parasitic insects, which had just returned to the bug-masked ANBU.

The bug-masked ANBU was sitting, parasitic insect perched on his finger. After a few seconds, the insect returned to within his coat sleeves, and the bug looked down.

He could see nothing below the thick canopy of tree tops. It was an expanse of green, nothing interesting except for – wait. What? A quick burst of smoke, and a piercing cry.

The bear-masked ANBU looked up. His face wasn't visible, but he was clearly nervous.

"Did anyone else see that?" he asked. His three companions all nodded. "The mission briefing said that this section of Konoha is uninhabited though?"

Again, all three nodded.

"That's why Naruto chose here." said the cat, who looked down again. That cry had not been from any animal native to this forest. It hadn't been human either.

"It was a bird, but not one that I am familiar with." said the bird-masked ANBU.

The bug-masked ANBU simply nodded, preferring not to answer. Talking was not one of his strong points, but he knew when to trust his instinct.

The bug had a feeling that something was very wrong in this forest.

* * *

><p><strong>So I'm desperately hoping that I haven't lost too many readers! Drop a review if you're still here :) Hopefully updates will get more regular from now on!<strong>


	13. Contradiction and Signs

**AN:** **Hey, remember when I said updates would be more regular from now on? Well, I lied. A combination of lots of extra-curriculars, writer's block and interest in other things has kept me stuck on writing this chapter. Lately I've rediscovered my love of Hetalia, which has been terrible for this fanfic, but absolutely fantastic for my geography/history skills! Unlucky Chapter 13, I guess :)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own. Like, at all.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13 – Contradiction and Signs<strong>

_There's distraction  
>Buzzing in my head<br>Saying in the shadows  
>It's easier to stay<br>_- **Brooke Fraser**

* * *

><p>The giant ink-bird touched down lightly, hovering just above the dark green canopy. The bug, the bear and the cat leapt off its back, disappearing into the treetops. The bird-masked ANBU was a little slower, dispelling his ink creation before following his companions.<p>

He descended swiftly, a few elegant jumps taking him from the branches to the ground, where his companions stood.

It was dark and cool. The forest floor was in almost constant shadow, with only a few beams of sun managing to penetrate the foliage.

As the bird-masked ANBU landed on this dappled ground, he sensed the uncertainty radiating from his captain, and the absence of his bug and bear-masked teammates.

The cat-masked ANBU acknowledged his presence with a tense nod.

"Thank you Sai. The others should be back in a second. The site…"

A slight, quiet rustle in the leaves caught their attention. Both prepared for a fight, only to have the bear-masked ANBU appear.

To the untrained eye, the ANBU looked no different than he had before. But his companions could see he was shaking.

"The site… We found… well you'll have to see it."

The bear-masked ANBU turned back, and his companions followed, pushing through the foliage, a sense of dread and anticipation hanging heavily in the dark forest.

* * *

><p>Neji took a hesitant step into the office of his uncle, to find the older Hyuuga silhouetted against the bright light coming in from the window. He gripped the scroll in his hand a little tighter, crinkling the creamy thick paper.<p>

In the past few years, Neji's relationship with his uncle had improved drastically, however there were still moments of tension, when neither he nor Hiashi felt comfortable in the other's presence. For Neji, this was one of those moments. He had a feeling he had overheard something that should have been private, that should have stayed a shared moment between father and daughter.

"Neji. Please, sit."

He motioned with his hand for Neji to sit, and Neji obliged. Hiashi remained standing by the window.

"I assume you heard everything?"

"I heard some things. Not everything."

"I see." said his uncle simply. Neji raised a questioning eyebrow. Hiashi's voice was calm, although not as icy as usual.

His uncle turned slowly towards him. Neji watched carefully for any signs of emotion but found none. The older Hyuuga's face was as stoic and composed as ever.

"I apologise if I was not meant to hear that."

To Neji's surprise, Hiashi shook his head solemnly.

"There is no need for apologies. In fact, I am actually glad that you heard our conversation."

Neji raised the other eyebrow. Glad that he had accidently eavesdropped? Well that was a surprise.

"You do not believe me?" Hiashi said, with the barest hint of a smile. "That is only logical. Of course you would expect me to be disapproving."

"But you are not." said Neji simply.

"No." Hiashi turned his head towards the window again, and gestured at his desk. Neji looked down, to see a folded up newspaper. He placed the scroll in his hand on the desk, and picked up the paper.

"The Konoha Letter? I though you of all people would not be interested in this particular publication."

"It's Hanabi's, and it is yesterday's edition."

"If it's Hanabi's, why is it in your possession?"

"It is not important why. Look at the cover."

Neji unfolded the newspaper and skimmed the front page. He looked back up at his uncle, to find him staring intently at him.

"Ah. I see."

"So Uzumaki is back in the village. And has been since the day before yesterday."

Neji nodded. Hiashi's face softened, and he sat down opposite Neji.

"You know, it may not seem so sometimes, but I do care about my daughter." Hiashi said, taking the tabloid from Neji. "She is very precious to me."

Hiashi glanced again towards the window.

"I want her to be strong, to be happy. What happened to her mother, to Hikari, must not happen to Hinata."

Neji felt his uncle's focus return to him. The elder Hyuuga looked him dead in the eye, pale orbs meeting pale orbs.

"I am concerned about her. You are her cousin Neji. Please, look out for her. Make sure she is ok."

"I… I will." Neji nodded, more assertively this time. "Of course. I promise it."

"Thank you." The two Hyuuga had come to an understanding, made a silent oath.

Hiashi looked down at the scroll resting where Neji had put it down on his desk.

"I assume this is why you have come to see me?" he said, changing the subject.

"Right. Yes." Neji replied. Hiashi picked up the scroll. "The document is from the Hokage. She asked me to deliver it to you."

"What is the letter concerning?"

"Lady Tsunade said it is just an issue with diplomatic duties in Sunagakure. Most of the clan heads received them yesterday. I apologise for not bringing it sooner."

Hiashi unrolled the scroll and skimmed the document. After he finished, he looked back at Neji.

"According to this, the Kazekage will be arriving in the village soon. It seems there is a matter that needs to be discussed."

* * *

><p><em><span>Moments Earlier<span>_

"What do you mean, nothing?"

The bug-masked ANBU remained still.

"My insects have done a preliminary search of the area. So far, nothing but the trees."

"Could it be possible we are in the wrong place?" asked the bear-masked ANBU The bug shook his head. "Maybe he told us the wrong co-ordinates?"

"Naruto would not have lied to us. He's not stupid either, he wouldn't have just gotten the co-ordinates wrong. Not about this. If these are the co-ordinates he gave us, than it will be here."

The bug-mask ANBU sighed, and then started.

"What is it Shino?" asked the bear-masked ANBU.

"My insects have found something."

"But, I thought that you said there was nothing?" replied the bear, perplexed.

"Before, my insects had been searching for any items that were of the appropriate shape, mass and size, in order to pinpoint a location. However, that search bore no fruit. But, what if, there is the possibility that what we are looking for is no longer here? With that in mind, I switched my insects' way of searching. Instead of searching for the item, I simply commanded to search for the lack of it. In short, I directed them to find evidence that something of the appropriate size, shape and mass had _at some point_ been present."

"So where is it?" asked the the bear

"About 5 metres to the East."

With the new location, the two set off for the site.

* * *

><p>They always say that as soon as you stop searching, you find what you're looking for.<p>

It seemed like this was the case for Kiba. As soon as he stopped visiting all the places where he thought Hinata would be, and just gave up on looking, he found her.

He'd been walking along, minding his own business, when a flash of dark blue had appeared in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he'd seen her passing the Hokage's office. He saw her pace quicken. She must have been in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Hinata!" he called, smile creeping onto his face. At that moment, he saw her turn around, hair whipping into her face. Her eyes were wide, and wild. Watching her, he felt like a hunter, on the trail of a scared rabbit. He shook his head. Well that was a strange thought.

He waved, grinning, but she didn't look in his direction, instead, turning back around and leaping into the trees.

Kiba frowned. She must have seen him. She must have! Or maybe it wasn't her?

No. Of course it was. He was 99% sure it was her.

Usually, 99% would be enough certainty for Kiba to do anything. But in this case, the 1% of doubt was really, really messing with him.

He dismissed the thought. She probably just hadn't heard him.

With this in mind, Kiba followed the girl (who absolutely _had_ to be Hinata) into the trees, all the while with that niggling 1% in the back of is mind.

* * *

><p>The two ANBU stood, staring at the scene in front of them. The bug-masked ANBU was still, calm. The bear-masked ANBU, on the other, was worried. Very worried.<p>

"Go. Get the others now."

The bear-masked nodded, leaping back through the trees. As he approached, he heard the sound of his captain's voice.

"Thank you Sai. The others should be back in a second. The site…"

He heard his captain trail off. They must have heard him approaching. Quickly, he dropped nervously down from the trees and addressed the cat and bird-masked ANBU.

"The site… We found… well you'll have to see it." he said, just barely keeping his voice from breaking. His companions nodded, and the three set off to where their teammate waited.

* * *

><p>She was in the cemetery.<p>

_Well duh_, though Kiba to himself. Of course that was where she was going.

He'd finally caught up to her, only to see that she was deep in conversation with Kurenai sensei. Kiba stopped himself from going up to them. Clearly, they were having a moment of some sort.

So he waited.

And waited.

And waited until they finished talking.

Unfortunately, by the time they finished talking, Kiba was starting to feel guilty. What the hell? He'd followed his girlfriend to the _cemetery_! Come on, she was probably going to mourn someone.

All of a sudden, Kiba felt horrible. He was going home right now and leaving Hinata alone.

He turned to leave, but found his resolve disappearing. He just… he couldn't go.

But he should. He really should.

Go or stay? Go or stay?

Fortunately for him, someone else resolved his conflict.

"Kiba? What are you doing here?"

Kiba looked up to see a confused looking, red-eyed women.

"Kurenai-sensei! I'm, just…" Kiba grinned, and scratched his head. "Um… internalising a complicated situation?"

His former sensei raised an eyebrow.

"Right." she replied, drawing the word out much longer than one syllable. She glanced behind her, towards the direction she had come from.

From where the two were standing, they had an unobstructed view of the Hyuuga Clan area of the cemetery. Kiba could see Hinata, standing solemnly by a grave.

"Did you follow her here?" asked Kurenai gently. She wasn't accusing him of anything, but Kiba felt judged.

"I, well, um, kind of." said Kiba with hesitation. "I guess, yeah."

His former sensei nodded slowly.

"Do you know why she's here?"

Kiba shook his head. The cemetery had always been somewhere he never went with Hinata.

Too personal, she had always said.

"Hinata seems… very conflicted." said Kurenai, choosing her words very carefully. "Hopefully she's ok?"

He didn't reply, but turned to watch Hinata. Kurenai watched him in turn. It was odd to see Kiba, normally so boisterous and wild, subdued.

"Kiba?"

"Hinata is… well, I have no idea." he replied simply, head still turned towards the still, elegant figure. "It's been two days. I haven't spoken to her since - hell, I haven't even seen her until now!"

"But everything's fine!" he said, suddenly becoming cheerful. "We're fine, she's fine, I'm fine, everyone's fine!"

Kurenai frowned. It didn't really sound like Kiba was trying to convince her of anything. Rather, it seemed like he was simply trying to convince himself.

"Hinata's fantastic! Hey you know who else is fine? Naruto! Naruto's fine! Did you know he's back Kurenai-sensei?" Kiba continued to ramble.

Kurenai nodded.

"Of course you did! It's all over the news!" suddenly, Kiba's eyes went wide. "Speak of the devil- he's here! Look, see!" He waved wildly towards Hinata.

Before, Hinata's had been the only figure standing at that particular place in the cemetery. Now, Kurenai could see the back of a tall blond person approaching Hinata, who hadn't seemed to have noticed.

So it seemed the boy really was back.

Kurenai and Kiba stood outside the cemetery, watching the blond approach the blue haired girl in silence. The crimson-eyed woman kept looking between the former student standing beside her, and the one in the distance.

There were many things that Kurenai knew about her former team. Off the top of her head, she could name their respective, weights, heights, shoe sizes, birthdays and parents' names. She could tell you each ones individual strengths and weaknesses, and the style they fought in. She could name their favourite animals, colours, foods and the clan heritage.

Yes, Kurenai knew a lot about her former team. But the thing was, none of that knowledge had prepared her for Kiba and Hinata dating. The truth was, she had absolutely never, ever thought that it would happen.

Shy little Hinata and wild Kiba? If someone had suggested that to Kurenai a few years ago, she would have laughed. Everyone could see that Hinata was absolutely, desperately, head over heels in love with Naruto Uzumaki. Kurenai had thought that that couldn't possibly ever change, but after Naruto had left the village… well, Kiba and Hinata had seemed to fall together like two halves of a whole. Hinata had moved on.

Or had she? To be honest, Kurenai had an inkling of what the current situation was about. But she was absolutely, no way prepared to deal with it.

She was their former leader, and they were adults now. They couldn't rely on her to sort stuff out for them anymore.

These were her thoughts as she bid goodbye to Kiba, leaving the brunette alone, transfixed by the conversation between his girlfriend and his (former?) friend.

* * *

><p>"This was it? Absolutely everything?"<p>

The bear-masked ANBU nodded in response to his captain's question.

"Th-that was all that was here when we arrive. Shino has been analysing it."

The bug-masked ANBU straightened up, from where he was crouched on the ground.

"Anything, Shino?"

"Insect activity here shows that something was here, no more than an hour ago. The item would have been here for a few weeks, which fits the timeframe. Now though….

"So… now what?"

"Now… he's gone."

The statement struck the group into shocked silence. It was the worst possible conclusion.

"You are absolutely sure there is nothing else?"

The bug reached into one of the many deep pockets in his coat, and extracted a small glass vial.

"My insects detected a certain… chemical compound present in the soil. I will bring it back with me and have the lab technicians in Konoha analyse it."

A soft wind blew through the forest. The rustling of the leaves seemed ominous now.

"Wh-what does this mean?" asked the bear nervously.

"It means… bad things." the bird replied. Yes, he realised that he was being incredibly general, but he really had nothing else to say.

"Thanks for your help on clarifying that Sai." their captain deadpanned. He approached the bug, who handed him the vial of soil.

"I guess there is nothing else to do but go back now."

"Wait, Captain Yamato." the bird spoke up. "I do not believe that returning to Konoha would be the best thing to do. I think that we should investigate the site where we saw the smoke."

"The smoke?"

The bug nodded.

"Sai is correct. This forest is meant to be free of all humans, so why was there smoke, let alone smoke that disappeared that quickly?"

"And the noise… the bird's cry…" added the bear, before trailing off.

Their captain considered this, looking from the bug, to the bear, to the bird, before nodding.

"Where we saw the smoke… come one, lets go."

With that the four leapt back into the treetops.

Only the bug looked back at the clearing, which contained nothing but an empty hole and a pile of dirt.

* * *

><p>Eat breakfast at Ichiraku's. Check.<p>

Stock up on actual, people food for the fridge. Check.

Talk to Konohamaru. Talk to Iruka-sensei. Buy clothes that fit. Check in with the Hokage.

Check, check, check and check.

On Naruto's mental checklist, he only really had one more thing he _absolutely_ had to do.

Visit the 3rd Hokage, his mother, and his father.

So Naruto made the long trek from the centre of Konoha to the cemetery. Every step he took, he felt more… at home. Things were starting to set into a good rhythm again. He'd pretty much done everything he needed to do in order for everything, absolutely everything, to go back to normal.

Or at least, as normal as it could possibly get.

Naruto arrived at the cemetery, and entered not through the main gate, but a small side gate that led to the secluded area where the graves of the Hokage lay.

He'd spent a while there, paying his respects to the old man, and the first and second Hokages. Then, he'd moved on, and settled next to the graves of his father, and his mother.

Sometimes, it was still hard for Naruto to believe who his parents had been. When he'd first found out, he had kept expecting himself to wake up from some dream. Sometimes, he still had that feeling of surrealism, like nothing he had learned could possibly be true.

He must have sat by his parents for an hour. Maybe more. By the time he finished talking to them, the day had progressed to late afternoon. In a short time, the sun would set, and the day would be over.

Bidding goodbye, Naruto left the clearing. This time though, he chose to leave through the main cemetery, rather than a side path.

There was barely anyone there. The cemetery was quiet, as usual.

Naruto walked past the graves of many ninja. Looking down at the headstones, he recognised few names. He was saddened to see how man of them had died in the wars, compared to those who had died of natural causes. So many of those who had died in a war, had died during the Fourth War.

He shuddered at the memory.

That war… it had happened because of one madman and his insane scheme. Countless had died before he was stopped. Naruto placed a hand over his stomach. They had wanted _him_. Or rather, the power locked away, sealed away inside him. He bit his lip, stopping at the grave of an unfamiliar shinobi.

He looked up at a bird flying past. It was high up, barely a speck in the sky, but Naruto could just make out the colours. A hawk? You didn't see many of those around Konoha.

The hawk shrieked and Naruto looked away, only for something else to catch his eye.

* * *

><p>"…basically, what I am saying is that this is bad."<p>

The four ANBU were gathered in a circle, all staring at the ground between them.

"You are absolutely sure Shino?" the bug sighed at his captain's questions.

"My insects can detect even the slightest trace of chakra. They are not wrong."

Currently, between the four shinobi, thousands upon thousands of parasitic insects had gathered. That was not the unsettling part though. The issue was the way the bugs were gathered.

The bugs had aligned themselves into a basic circle, with spokes stemming off from it, and meeting in the middle.

"Sai, make a record."

The bird brought out a scroll and inkbrush, and swiftly copied down the pattern in front of them. At the bottom, he marked down its exact location. The four ANBU then ascended through the forest canopy, settling themselves on top of the trees.

Bringing out another scroll, he painted a bird. With a few signs, the ink-bird peeled off the scroll, seeing to grow in size. The ANBU unit got on, and with a sign from the bird-masked ANBU, the ink-bird raced, with incredible speed, towards Konoha.

* * *

><p><strong>Guilt. Guilt and writer's block made me rush through this chapter. Forgive the very OOCness, and awkward conversation. :(<strong>


	14. To Realize

**AN:** **Hey guys! Wow, this chapter is a bit of a long one, so enjoy it! Short Author's Note from me, but just wanted to let you guys know, if there's any NejixTenten shippers out there, I'm starting a new story :) ! Also, I am planning to update my other stories, I'm trying to get them all updated in the next few weeks.  
><strong>**DISCLAIMER:**** All I want for Christmas… iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis… ownership of Naruto ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 – To Realize<strong>

_Some things  
>We don't talk about<br>Rather do without  
>And just hold the smile<br>_- **The Fray**

* * *

><p>She didn't notice his approach. He found that strange, as he had walked no quieter, and no more carefully than usual.<p>

He didn't remember having ever seen her there before, but put that down to the fact that he never normally visited this part of the cemetery. She could've spent all her time there, for all he knew.

A cloud passed over the late afternoon sun, and she lifted her head. The movement caused a lock of her glossy blue-black hair to fall over her face, obscuring it.

"Hey." he said quietly. His voice seemed to startle her. He noted the sudden, jerking movement as she turned towards him.

The first thing he noticed about her was that she was crying. Not loud, dramatic sobbing. Just simple, silent tears that had left glistening trails down her cheeks.

"Naruto."

"Come here often?"

Hinata bit her lip lightly. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Sometimes."

"You seem upset." He winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. You seemed upset? Seriously? She was standing in a cemetery, _crying_. It was pretty obvious that she was upset.

"I'm not upset." That was a surprise.

"Oh. Um. That's good!" A tad too cheerful, perhaps?

She nodded slowly. Naruto was starting to regret approaching her. In the few seconds that their conversation had lasted so far, he'd felt incredibly awkward. Neither of them had been able to say more than four words in a sentence.

He pondered the thought for a moment, but was interrupted.

"I just… I came to visit some family. This is the Hyuuga Clan area."

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss."

She shook her head and glanced over at the nearest headstone.

"My loss… there's no need to be sorry… it was very long ago."

"Oh."

Naruto turned to look at the headstone. He read the name and message inscribed on it, than looked back at Hinata.

"Hikari Hyuuga… beloved wife, devoted mother… bask now in the light that never fades."

"She was my mother."

That way Hinata said that simple sentence communicated more to Naruto than the actual words. Hinata's mother was… dead? And if he had seen the dates on the gravestone properly, she had passed away some time ago, before he had met Hinata.

"Oh."

It was strange to think that he hadn't known about Hinata's mother. He remembered back to the first Chunin Exams, when he'd learnt about the Hyuuga clan. It'd had really been the first time he'd actually noticed the shy, stuttering girl, even if it had been while she was getting beaten to a pulp by her cousin.

"Hey, you know something?" he said, realising something.

Hinata looked back at him, pale eyes unreadable

"You haven't stuttered once while talking to me."

* * *

><p>"You haven't stuttered once while talking to me."<p>

He was smiling. Just a small, raising of the corners of his mouth, but a smile nonetheless.

A happy smile? A mocking smile? A subconscious smile? Hinata couldn't tell.

"Remember when we first met? You could barely get out a sentence without stuttering or fainting!"

He was still talking, bringing up the past. Oh well, at one of them was speaking in proper sentences.

"People change, Naruto." she interrupted him. "It's been a long time." Her words were almost… harsh.

"You too, huh Hinata?" the smile wasn't gone from his face, just dimmed. Hinata felt a little strange. She wasn't used to speaking like that. In fact, she was sure she had never spoken like that before.

"What… what do you mean?' she answered his question with a question, tone softer this time.

"Nothing. You're right though. It's been a long time." He chuckled. It wasn't a laugh of joy, but almost a bitter noise. "Wow, I swear I've repeated those words over and over again. I must've said them to myself a million times over the last four years."

His voice was light. If Hinata closed her eyes, she could imagine that Naruto was smiling, just joking around like he had always done.

But she kept her eyes open, so she saw the shadow that darkened his blue eyes.

During… that year… Hinata had had a lot of time to think. Often, the only thing on her mind had been the person standing in front of her right now. She'd tortured herself about him. Why had he left? How could he leave?

For a long time, she had beaten herself up about the fact that none of them, none of his friends, save Sakura, had even gotten to really say goodbye. She'd even managed to convince herself that him leaving, was somehow her fault, shifting the blame solely onto herself. The logical part of her (which had gone AWOL during that time) had known that she had absolutely nothing to do with Naruto leaving. But still…

Eventually she had gotten tired of questioning herself, questioning his motives, inventing excuses. That had been when she had given into her anger. In silent rage, she had yelled and screamed internally, venting frustration from years of being ignored. This had of course, all happened in her head. To the outside world, she had still been delicate figure. Quiet, subdued…

Broken.

Hinata had thought back then, that out of all her peers, all the people who had cared about Narut, she (and Sakura, of course) had taken his departure the hardest. She had never ever thought, even for a second, that maybe, just maybe, the person who had suffered most had been Naruto himself.

"Naruto?"

He shook his head lightly, banishing the shadow

"Huh, sorry. I'm being a bit of a downer aren't I?" A grin. The smile didn't make it past his mouth.

Seeing him like this… Hinata didn't think she'd ever seen him like this. She'd seen him after Sasuke left, after Jiraiya died, after the war that had taken so many lives. They had been trying times for him, and she'd seen him hurt.

But this time, it felt different.

"No… please don't think that. Naruto…" Hinata raised a hand to wipe an eye that no longer needed to be wiped. The tear trails on her face had long since dried in the sun. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly. What she was about to say… should she say it?

Naruto cocked his head to the side, just a little. He waited for her to continue.

She took a breath.

"Naruto, when you left –"

"Things changed, or so I've heard."

His sudden interruption startled her. A flash of that feeling seemed to cross his face again, but she dismissed it as an illusion.

"Yes, things changed, But, I guess, not necessarily for the better." A wave of uncertainty hit Hinata. Where was she going with this?

He raised an eyebrow.

"A lot of things happened. There were the good things, such as cousin Neji's engagement, or Temari's move to Konoha. But you see, there were… problems that seemed to arise too. Do you remember Captain Yamato?"

A nod.

"He returned to ANBU. In the last four years, he has not stayed in the village longer than a day at a time, aside from when he was injured. Kakashi-sensei, as well, started to accept longer, and longer missions. Solo, never leading teams. In fact, he has refused every single time Lady Tsunade wished him to lead a team on a mission."

She saw him frown. She almost stopped then. Why on earth was she telling him these things? Wouldn't they just make him feel guilty? No. He had to know.

Besides, now that she had started, she couldn't stop.

"Sakura… Sakura was devastated. Unlike Captain Yamato and Kakashi, she hasn't left the village in four years, refusing any missions at all. She spends all her time at the hospital. Natsuki's… that was the first time I've seen her outside of work in years."

"I left her… just like Sasuke did… only, at least when I left, I left her conscious."

"They found her that evening, collapsed, crumpled on the ground in the rain."

He shook his head slowly.

"She had an umbrella. A yellow umbrella. She wouldn't have gotten wet."

A sharp pain seemed to jolt through Hinata. For some odd reason, his statement had hurt her.

"The umbrella... they found it blown halfway across Konoha."

* * *

><p>"The umbrella... they found it blown halfway across Konoha."<p>

An umbrella... he didn't really care about that umbrella, but he needed something trivial to focus on, something that didn't have emotions, or could be hurt.

"_I already released you from your promise Naruto… Please, don't."_

"I never meant to hurt anyone, especially not Sakura, or Kakashi-sensei, or Captain Yamato."

"_I need to do this. I never break a promise. If finding him means leaving my life, my village and the people precious to me behind, than I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back."_

"I… I had to go. I needed to find _him_." he clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm. The other hand slid into his pocket. He cast his eyes down, and stared blankly at the dirt by his feet.

"_Don't try to stop me. Don't try to find me. I don't want you to."_

Was that how Sasuke had felt, when he'd first abandoned Konoha? Had he felt any sort of remorse… guilt? Of had it been worse?

"But it seems like… me going was the worst possible thing to do, wasn't it?"

"No… please don't say that…" her voice was distant. Far off, the words attempting to comfort him.

"I regret leaving. All it did was hurt people, and in the end, I couldn't even do what I set out to do. _He's _dead. I couldn't bring back Sasuke."

He almost spat the name out, raising his voice and head toward the sky.

He felt something touch his hand. He looked down, to find pale delicate fingers unclenching his fist for him. He looked back up, to see Hinata's head bowed, hair falling over her face once more.

Hinata seemed to catch what she was doing, and flinched, quickly withdrawing her hand. She gave a quick gasp.

"S-sorry…"

Naruto brought his hand to his face. Four, deep red crescents decorated his palm. He looked back towards Hinata. She had drawn back, seemingly having placed more distance between them.

He smiled softly, half in surprise, half in gratitude.

"Thank you." She nodded, and looked down.

"Your… your face."

Removing his other hand from his pocket, he touched his cheek.

"I guess it's my turn to cry, huh?"

Another, silent bob of the head.

"Hinata…"

The sound of her own name caused her to look up again.

"You've told me what happened to everyone else when I left… but what happened to you?"

* * *

><p>"You've told me what happened to everyone else when I left… but what happened to you?"<p>

"T-to me?" She was stuttering again. She shouldn't have reached out for him… but he was hurting himself… so hurt.

"Something happened to you. You're a different person to the girl I used to know. I haven't seen you faint, or blush, once since I've been back." He cracked a joke, but she could tell his heart wasn't in it. He was completely serious.

"N-nothing."

He took a step towards her, and she held her ground.

"Please… please don't lie to me."

She almost couldn't believe it. Was he actually asking her about herself? Before she could halt herself, Hinata started to talk.

"My mother… she died when I was very young. I'm too much like her."

Confusion.

"She was like the moon. Some days bright, full, a shining light. But always, always gradually returning to the darkness. It is… why she died. I am too much like her. When you left…"

No. No. No. She needed to stop. He didn't need to know. It wasn't any of his business.

"When you left, I broke down."

But she was pulled in by the blueness of his eyes, pulled in by the familiar face. Hinata felt like she was in a dream, the dream of her 16 year old self all over again.

"I shut myself off from everyone. I would barely eat, I wouldn't leave my room, I wouldn't see anyone."

She was compelled. The words flowed from her, a waterfall, unstoppable. The wall that she'd kept it all behind was broken, and everything was coming out in a raging torrent.

"I spent a year just… shattered. I was sad. Sad, angry, guilty, frustrated… All because of you."

And now she was being pulled by the current, washed away by the flood.

"I couldn't believe it. I had… You probably don't even remember… But I…"

She was caught in the whirlpool now, and she couldn't get out.

"The Invasion of Pain…"

"You told me you loved me."

And just like that, she was pulled out of the water, if only temporarily. The water had been dammed.

"Is that what happened?"

She nodded.

"So it was true… that wasn't my imagination."

"Your imagination?"

"When you… said that… I saw Pain 'kill you'. Did you know you were the first person to say that, and actually mean it? And then you 'died'… The Kyuubi exploded out of me… Those few moments, everything is a blur to me."

"So that's why…"

"That's why I didn't say anything to you afterwards."

Hinata considered this for a moment.

"I see… but still…"

"Still?"

"I loved you for years. I finally got up the courage to tell you… and you don't remember… but even still… I remembered. For that year, while I sat in the darkness, locked in my head, I made something. A present for you, I guess. That memory, you pinned down to the ground by Pain… it became etched into my head. I spent a long time… remaking that coat you were wearing. I don't know why I did it, only that… I felt I had to."

"What?" real surprise was evident in his voice. "You made that… for me?"

She waited, waited for something. Some sort of acknowledgement, a reply that she'd been waiting for years.

But he said nothing, just looked at her with those blue eyes.

And the dam broke again.

"How could you… how can you be so oblivious?"

She was angry.

"I always used to admire you, but deep down now, I realize that I hated you too. How you could keep me stuck on you… without doing anything! Think Naruto, really think, about it. Think about how I acted around you. Looking back now, it was _embarrassing_ how obvious I was, and how _ignorant_ you were! And then… you left… without saying goodbye to anyone. Do you realize how painful that was, for not just me, but for _everyone_? We all loved you! You don't remember me saying I loved you… but you didn't forget either… you never even mentioned it! Nothing! I killed myself thinking about it, wondering whether you had heard me or not, or whether you were just ignoring me! Because you never confronted me, never gave me anything back, when I spent my entire life just watching you… I… I… "

Her voice had faded to a whisper by the end of her speech. At some point, Hinata had stopped thinking about what she was saying, whether it made sense or not.

"Did you… did you ever even care?" Hinata was not sure whether by this point, she was speaking in her head, or out loud.

There was no one else in the cemetery now. She was alone, with him.

"Do you still love me?"

What? He waited for a reply, but after he got none, he asked again.

"Do you still love me?"

"I..I'm happy… I love Kiba." It wasn't a lie. But was it the truth?

"I'm so sorry." He walked away, leaving her standing there.

For a while, Hinata stood. She didn't feel the time pass by, and she didn't notice the sun going down.

It was dark before she remembered how to walk away.

* * *

><p>He hadn't noticed Kurenai leave. Or he had. Sort of. Not really. He'd been too busy watching him approach her. Seeing him come out of nowhere, had actually been a huge surprise.<p>

He watched them talk, if you could really call it talking. From where Kiba stood, he could make out mouth movements and hear the soft mumble of their voices, but not the words they were saying. There was a wind blowing, shaking the leaves of the trees around him too loudly.

He followed their conversation, watching it progress from awkward, monosyllabic replies, to… something more. As he watched though, he began to feel more and more uneasy. Before long, he felt like he was intruding.

Hinata and Naruto were in what seemed to be their own little bubble, shut off, not noticing anything else but each other. To say that though, would imply that the conversation was pleasant.

No. Whatever was being said, was certainly not happy. Intense, but not in a good way. On one hand, Kiba felt grateful for that. On the other, he felt guilt.

There were moments when he had wanted to rush in, run in and burst the bubble. But he never found his body willing, or his mind set.

So he just watched, with every single tiny movement of theirs stabbing into his mind like tiny needles. Watched her reach out to him, brushing his hand, and retreating back. Watched her get angry, elegant hands clenched tightly together, whipping her head forwards, silky hair obscuring her face. He watched her, watch him, watching her, watching him.

He _shouldn_'t have watched, but he did. And it hurt him. But the end… the sun was setting, and Hinata was left alone, staring after Naruto…

He saw the look in Hinata's pale eyes as she watched the blonde ninja walk away. It was what he was feeling at that exact moment. Like her heart had been ripped out, torn to shreds, and stomped on.

For years, Kiba had made Hinata happy. He had always believed that, she really, truly loved him. But was that enough? Did she love him?

Kiba had come to conclusion from what he had just seen.

Naruto had been her first love, the one that changed her all the way back at the first Chunin Exams. She had always been devoted to him, obsessed almost. Kiba had known it, Hinata had known it, hell, everyone had known it except Naruto himself. Kiba had convinced himself that she had gotten over him.

But deep down, it was inevitable, wasn't it?

These were his thoughts as the sky darkened, bathing the landscape in rosy glow, than fading to gray.

Once the sky was dark, he, like Naruto, walked away.

* * *

><p>The stars were out, pinholes of light in an ink black sky.<p>

He took a deep breath, the warm night air filling his lungs and bringing with it a strange familiarity.

He descended, but did not reach the ground, instead choosing to hover near the tall closed gates. There were many sentries active, but he knew they would not see him.

Was it stupid, approaching from the front? Yes, if it had been anyone other than him. He was confident.

He scanned the village from his vantage point on the back of the hawk. It all looked so different, yet so similar. Hokage Monument, the Academy… all new, but old. The bright lights of the village made him think of the people.

How calm they were. How peaceful.

How vulnerable.

Enough. He dived downwards, retreating into the cover of the forests around Konoha once again.

The quiet of the summer night was shattered by an avian scream. It filled the night, seeming to echo.

The sentries, startled, looked up to see nothing but the peaceful stars once more.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Sakura looked out the window into the night.<p>

"Please, my darling Sakura! Do not worry! I, Lee, will protect you!" Lee boasted from the hospital bed. She sighed and looked back at the green-clad ninja.

"Lee, you're not in any condition to protect anyone right now. Just go to sleep, ok?"

Due to a rather overenthusiastic training session with Gai-sensei involving boulders, petroleum jelly and the Hokage Monument, Lee had (for not the first time) landed in the hospital with a broken leg, fractured coccyx and a concussion.

"My cherry blossom, I can not go to sleep knowing that you are scared! I do not care what my condition is, I, Lee, must be ready to protect you!"

"Oh, Lee." Sakura smiled. Lee always said the strangest, but somehow the most endearing things. "I'm not scared. It was just a hawk."

Lee grinned widely, but then frowned.

"Sakura, but are not hawks birds of the day?"

Sakura nodded, and glanced back out the window. She gasped.

"What is it Sakura? Is everything ok?" Lee asked, concerned.

She shook her head.

"Nothing Lee. Please, just go to sleep." A flash of yellow in the black night. Probably just a hallucination, right?

"But Sakura, I am not tired! I still have much youthful energy that must not go to waste!"

"Lee, you need rest to recover. What do I need to do to get you to go to sleep?" Sakura was exasperated. Lee was always like this when he was in the hospital. No matter what the time, or how injured he was, he was always ready to burst out of the perfectly made sheets and start training.

"I, Lee, promise that if you go out on one date with me, I will lay my head down and fall asleep straight away!" he said this with a huge grin, thumbs-up extended out towards her.

Sakura sighed again. Had he been planning this? She thought about it.

Lee was a rather enthusiastic, kind of strange, but not altogether bad guy. Actually, he was quite a sweet guy, really, if a little overly eager. He'd been asking her out for years, being not so subtle about his crush on her. For years, she'd been rejecting him.

But maybe, going out with him, just once, wouldn't be a bad idea? Out of all her friends, Lee had always been a constant. Never changing, always being that happy-go-lucky, friendly guy that he was. He was dedicated and motivated, and always had a smile on his face. Even though her world seemed grey, Lee had always stayed a bright green. Sometimes that had been frustrating, and Sakura had hated it, but other times, she was thankful that he hadn't changed a bit.

So one date couldn't possibly be that bad, if meant he would just go to sleep so she could go home.

"Fine. One date. Now go to bed!"

Lee's round eyes became even rounder.

"You will not regret this Sakura. Now I will go to sleep!"

Sakura turned and left the now abnormally still Lee 'asleep' in his room, closing the hospital door quietly.

With her thoughts on the younger of Konoha's green spandex clad ninja's, Sakura forgot about the cry of the hawk.

* * *

><p>"Should we seat the Hokage next to Kakashi?" Tenten said, pondering over a seating plan.<p>

"I think so. Who's sitting at the top table?"

Tenten consulted the chart.

"Hinata, then Hiashi, you, me, Gai-sensei, Lee."

Neji nodded.

"I see. I suppose that we sho-"

He was interrupted by shriek.

"What on earth was that?" asked Tenten, looking out the window behind her.

* * *

><p>The cry was heard by Hiashi, who paused, putting down the document sent by the Hokage. The curtains were drawn already, so he activated his Byakugan, quickly scanning the outdoors for any sign of a threat.<p>

Nothing.

Changing his viewpoint, he looked inside the house. Hanabi was in her room, as was Hinata. Neji and Tenten were in the dining room, and the rest of his clan were asleep, aside from the sentries at the gates.

Satisfied, he returned to the document.

* * *

><p>It had taken hours of apologizing, a bunch of flowers, and a box of chocolate, but Ino had finally let Chouji back inside.<p>

Curled on the couch, watching some horror movie, they didn't hear the sound.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru was asleep. He'd gone to bed relatively early, as Temari was out on a mission to escort the Kazekage to Konoha, and wasn't there to stop him from wasting the day away.<p>

He opened his eyes for a moment when he heard it, but fell straight back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kiba had always been a deep sleeper. If the dogs hadn't started howling, he wouldn't have heard it.<p>

* * *

><p>He should have gone home hours ago but instead he'd found himself wandering through Konoha, yet again. He was regretting the decision when the shriek pierced his ears.<p>

The noise filled him with a sense of dread. He knew that sound. He'd heard it in his dreams… no, in his nightmares.

Passing the hospital, he transported himself home as fast as possible.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Look at that, a chapter actually finished on time for once :O ! I guess I'm just in a fantastic mood about finishing school for the year. Please, please give me some feedback on this, it's the first time I've attempted to write <strong>_**anything**_** like the cemetery conversation. It was rather difficult, and I'm not 100% happy with it, but I'd love to hear what you think!  
>I'm planning for Chapter 15 to be a big one, since I'm 15 (so it's special) and I'm going to post it on Christmas (as a present for all you lovely people!)<strong>


	15. When Light Fades

**AN:** **I AM SO SORRY! This is so late, and I am so sorry, and I have just had...ugh... time. This AN will be short. Explanations at end.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** Christmas is over for me here in NZ... and I did not get what I wished for, so I still don't own Naruto...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 – When Light Fades<strong>

_It took so long  
>Just to feel alright<br>Remember how to put back  
>The light in my eyes<br>_- **Christina Perry**

* * *

><p>It was hot. A dry type of heat that sucked the moisture out of the air, parching the throat.<p>

Homura woke, the heat disturbing his sleep. Grumbling, he got out of bed to open a window. Damn this summer night. He was an old man, and falling asleep was sometimes hard for him.

After opening the nearest window just a crack, the Konoha elder started to ease himself back into bed. A clatter from outside his living room distracted him.

"Damn cat." mumbled Homura to himself as he got out of bed once more. "Must have knocked that vase over again."

He padded out to the living room, to indeed find a vase on the floor, and a guilty looking cat. Homaru replaced the shelf and picked up the cat, bringing it with him into his bedroom.

The room was much cooler now. A night breeze had blown in through the wide open window, extinguishing the –

Wide open window? Homura's eyes narrowed. The window had not been _that _open when he left it. Ever the ninja, he was on alert now.

"I know you're there." said the old man, quietly, albeit not nervously. Quickly, he made a shadow clone. However the instant his clone popped into existence, it was dispelled with a well thrown kunai. Another kunai whipped through the air, lodging itself in Homaru's left leg.

He cursed. How had he missed that? It seemed his senses were not as good as they had once been. No matter. With that kunai, he now knew what the position of his turned, to see only shadows. Cursing himself again, another kunai, this time from the other side of the room, impaled itself in his right shoulder.

Homaru had not fought in a long time, but that didn't mean he had forgotten how to fight. However, in his mind, he knew that this was a fight he would not win.

He made a hand seal, backing slowly towards the door. He may have been old and retired, but he wasn't going to go without a fight, no matter what.

"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Flames shot from him, the orange glow dancing along the walls. Quickly, while the place was illuminated, he scanned the room, but could see no one. The light died down again, and Homura ran for the door.

"Too slow old man…" said a mocking voice from the darkness.

Blue light lit the dark room, accompanied by the chirping of a thousand demonic birds. As quickly as it appeared, the light flashed away and the sound was gone.

The Konoha Elder's body slumped to the floor, ragged hole where his heart had been.

* * *

><p>The warm night had faded into a rainy morning, the first spell of rain all summer.<p>

The rain, combined with the fact that it was early on a Sunday, meant the streets of Konoha were practically deserted.

That is, until the small party of people passed through the village gates with no problems at all.

The redhead leading the party lifted his head slightly, looking up towards the sky as they walked.

"Something wrong, Gaara?" the tall brunette on his left asked, noticing the slight movement. At his words, the blonde woman to his right turned her head, looking slightly concerned.

"Nothing." Gaara extended his hand out, watching as the raindrops fell onto his palm. "It's been a while since we've been here, that's all."

"Yeah, it has." Kankurou nodded, the scowled lightly. "Damn well wish it wasn't raining though."

"Huh, first time it's rained in a while. The weather was gorgeous when I left." Temari frowned. "It's supposed to be summer!"

"Great welcome back, huh Gaara?" said Kankurou, scowl changing to a grin. The group arrived at their destination, and hurried inside, glad to be out of the rain. As soon as they stepped foot in the door, the three Sand Siblings were ushered to the Hokage's Office by Kotetsu, while Izumo dealt with the other shinobi.

The trio walked in to find the Hokage asleep at her desk. Temari coughed lightly, causing the woman to wake up.

After a slightly embarrassed greeting, the Hokage invited the Kazekage to sit down, which he did.

"Sorry about that Gaara. We were expecting your party to arrive earlier, so I've been here for a while."

"We were a little delayed by the rain."

"I see. It is rather unusual for it to rain around this time of year." Tsunade sighed. "It has been a rather unusual couple of days though... I trust Temari has filled you in?"

Gaara nodded slowly.

"Yes. She has told me about Naruto's return, but not about the circumstances surrounding it."

Temari cleared her throat.

"I thought that Lady Tsunade should be the one to inform you of that."

The Hokage grimaced.

"Of course Temari." She looked to the blonde fan bearer, and back at the Kazekage.

"As you know, Naruto has been away from the Leaf Village for around 4 years. During this time, he was... fulfilling a personal goal."

"The search for the Uchiha."

"Correct."

"So the fact that he has returned means that Uchiha is dead."

Gaara's face remained emotionless as he said this. In comparison, Kankurou looked stunned.

"Wait, so the Uchiha's actually dead? Woah... this must mean Naruto killed him right?"

Tsunade shook her head, as did Temari.

"It was... an accident." said the Hokage.

Temari bit her lip nervously as Gaara and Kankurou absorbed the information. When she had learnt of Sasuke Uchiha's death, it had been as much a shock to her as anyone else.

The Uchiha had, at one point during his life, seemed absolutely invincible. No matter how strong Naruto, and the other shinobi got, he was always one step ahead of them, constantly learning new tricks. To hear he was dead... it was hard to believe, even when it had been confirmed by the Hokage and Naruto himself.

"At last..." said Gaara quietly. More nodding. Kankurou coughed.

"So... is that everything?" he asked, in an attempt to change the subject. The Hokage thought for a second, before smiling.

"No, actually. I'm sorry but you two will have to leave. I'm sure Shikamaru's missed you Temari." Temari and Kankurou gave a quick nod, one wearing a smile, one rolling their eyes, before leaving.

"Firstly, the ambassadorial position in Suna. You have asked for a new ambassador to be sent from Konoha. Is there a problem?" The Hokage turned her attention fully onto Gaara, who shook his head in answer.

"No. Shika Aburame has done well representing Konoha in Suna. However, she has requested to step down from her position and return to Konoha permanently. I believe she is homesick."

"That is understandable. She has been away for a long time." Tsunade leant back in her chair and yawned. Apologising to a slightly amused Gaara, she continued. "I have sent word to the heads of Konoha's most prominent clans. I assumed you would again, want a shinobi who is not only skilled, but also a member of a powerful clan, which is fair considering the ambassador for Suna is your very own sister."

Gaara gave a small smile. He had a feeling that unlike Shika Aburame, Temari would not be requesting to leave Konoha any time soon.

"She looks very happy here in Konoha. I don't think she'll want to come home, so I need a shinobi of equal strength to her in Suna."

"Of course. Don't worry, I trust that between them, the clan heads can choose a few suitable canditates for you to pick from. Now that that is sorted… the other issue we must discuss is Naruto."

Gaara raised an non-existent eyebrow.

"Naruto?"

As Tsunade explained, Gaara found himself nodding, agreeing fully with her words.

"You have my full support on this." he said at the end of their discussion. Tsunade laughed.

"I thought so. That settles it then. I'll have a message sent to all the shinobi in the village. In the meantime Gaara…"

"I will find him and tell him." said Gaara with a smile. He seemed to being smiling a lot lately. Tsunade smiled back, and wished him good luck in the *wonderful* weather.

Bidding farewell to the Hokage, he left the office and went in search of Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru woke up much too early. The way he was woken up hadn't exactly been pleasant either.<p>

One minute he'd been peacefully off in slumber-land, the next minute he was staring into the smirking purple painted face of his girlfriend's brother.

Pillow (which had been used to hit a sleeping Shikamaru in the stomach) in hand, Kankurou proceeded to interogate him over his treatment of Temari.

Half-asleep, all he could think about was 'what the hell is he doing here?'. He answered Kankurou's questions rather… lethargically.

Luckily for him though, as Kankurou got on a roll, Temari herself came in and whacked the puppeteer in the side.

"Shut up and leave him alone Kankurou!" she grabbed the pillow out of his hand and shooing him out of the bedroom. She then proceeded to smack Shikamaru over the head lightly. "What sort of shinobi are you, sleeping through two unknown ninja breaking in? Get up!"

Shikamaru snorted, and rolled his eyes as Temari kissed him quickly on the forehead.

"Missed you!" she said, smiling at him.

Shikamaru yawned, and grinned back at her. He sat up, stratching his arms above his head.

"I missed you too. How was the mission?"

Temari sat down on the bed next to him.

"Wasn't much of a mission at all. By the time I met them, Gaara and his party were already 1/3 of the way here. Except for the fantastic rain, it was pretty relaxing."

"That's good." He yawned again. She hit him with the pillow.

"Get up lazy bones! It's a beautiful day…" Temari got up and walked to the window. Drawing the curtains, she frowned. "Well… not really."

"It's way to early to get up." Shikamaru recoiled from the light and slumped back under the covers.

"Oh no you don't!" with a quick tug, she wrenched the sheets off him and went to the wardrobe. Opening it, she grabbed a shirt and threw it at him.

Shikamaru decided that this was a battle he was not going to win.

"Troublesome woman." he drawled under his breath.

Temari grinned and kissed him.

"I love you too Shikamaru."

"Get a room!" called a voice from the living room. Shikamaru sighed. He'd forgotten Kankurou was still in their apartment.

"This is our room!" Temari yelled back, slamming the door on her brother.

Shikamaru laughed, the sound drowning out Kankurou's disgusted spluttering from the other side of the door.

* * *

><p>He didn't have to go far before he found him.<p>

The blond was standing awkwardly in the doorway to the building that housed the Hokage's office. Half in, half out, part of his body was being rained on, while the rest was being sheltered.

At Gaara's approach, he looked up. Gaara caught the serious look on his face, but it left quickly, making way for surprise, and then joy.

"Gaara! No way!" he said with a huge grin, walking inside properly towards him. Gaara couldn't help but return his smile. It was the same smile he remembered, the one that lit up his entire face, and made the receiver feel like they had completely made his day. At least, it was almost the same smile. As Naruto got closer, Gaara noticed that the smile was a little less bright than he remembered. Not a big difference, and perfectly justifiable, all things considered.

For a split-second, Gaara considered hugging him. Dismissing the idea, he opted for a handshake instead.

"Hello Naruto. It has been a very long time since we last met." The smile began to fade. Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. Had he said something wrong? As soon as he thought that though, he was distracted by Naruto's reply.

"Not since the war right?" Gaara nodded. The Fourth Shinobi World War... it had been a horrible time. "How's the whole Kazekage thing going?"

Shaking off the thoughts of the war, Gaara focused on Naruto.

"Suna is doing well. How are you?"

"I'm... good! A little tired, but hey, no big deal, right?" Naruto scratched his head absentmindedly. "So why are you here in Konoha?"

Gaara blinked. Tsunade had not told Naruto he was coming?

"Diplomatic issues between Konoha and Suna. The current ambassador from Konoha has requested to step down."

"I didn't even know that Konoha and Suna had ambassadors."

"The program has only been in effect for two years or so. It was established to maintain the peace and strengthen the already positive relationship between our two villages. The current ambassador from Suna is Temari, while the ambassador from Konoha had been Shika Aburame, a member of the Aburame clan."

"That explains why Temari's here in Konoha then. That and, Shikamaru of course." Naruto's grin grew wider with that comment. "So who's the new ambassador?"

"We have not decided yet. That is partly why I am here in Konoha."

"And the other reason-"

"Would be you." Gaara finished Naruto's sentence. Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"Me?" he asked, disbelieving. "You came, on a three day long trip, because of me?"

Gaara's own smile grew a little bigger as he explained the circumstances to Naruto. He found himself thanking the Hokage internally as he watched the mixture of shock and utter elation that that became displayed on Naruto's face.

"Finally..." said the ecstatic blond when Gaara had finished talking. "Wow..."

"Remember, the meeting tomorrow at 2pm is when it'll be made official."

"Right. I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" he laughed. The sound surprised Gaara, who found himself letting out a small chuckle.

It was... fantastic seeing Naruto so happy.

* * *

><p>Tsunade let out a huge yawn. She'd gotten up waaay to early for her own good, but at least the meeting with Gaara hadn't taken to long.<p>

She stared out the window of her office absent-mindedly. There were a few people out on the streets despite the rain. A blur of yellow and red made their way slowly away from the building she was in and towards the main streets of Konoha.

Gaara and Naruto, she thought to herself. The Kazekage and future Hokage. Smiling to herself, she didn't notice the soaking wet ANBU team which had appeared at her door.

The cat masked ANBU coughed politely, and Tsunade turned to them.

"You're back. Come in. You can take the masks off."

The four ANBU walked inside, leaving a trail of rainwater and mud behind them. Tsunade grimaced. Someone would have to clean the floor later.

"Your report Yamato?" asked Tsunade when the team reached her desk.

The cat masked ANBU removed his mask to reveal a grim expression on the man's face.

The bird, bug and bear all removed their masks to reveal similar expressions, even Sai.

After listening to Yamato's basic retelling of the ANBU trip to the site, Tsunade asked the most important question.

"What did you find?"

These four simple words led to troubled looks from all the ANBU members.

"My lady... we found a rather... unsettling scene. The grave was empty. There were signs it was recently disturbed, and Shino's insects detected some sort of chemical."

Shino stepped forward and placed a small vial filled with soil on Tsunade's desk. Tsunade thanked the bug-nin, who nodded. She turned back to Yamato.

"Was that all?"

"No." He shook his head and gestured for Sai to come forward. The artist removed a scroll from his pocket and unrolled it, placing it face up on Tsunade's desk. Before stepping back into place.

"After inspecting the general area, we returned to the spot where we had seen the smoke. There was slight scorching in the undergrowth and the remains of chakra. This is the pattern of what we believe is a seal for Summoning Jutsu. However, we aren't certain."

Tsunade nodded slowly, peering intently at the scroll. She looked up.

"Thank will be all. You are all dismissed, except you Yamato." She paused, and then remembered something. "Oh, and there is a meeting tomorrow at 2pm. Be there."

The other three ANBU left, leaving their captain in the office. Tsunade addressed him.

"The signs are... disturbing, to say the least. Please, find Kakashi, and bring him here."

"Yes my lady." As Yamato departed, Shizune arrived. The medic-nin and the ANBU captain greeted each other briefly before one went in and the other went out. Tsunade looked up at her assistance, who seemed utterly shocked.

"Is everything ok Shizune?" she asked, concerned.

"Lady Tsunade! Something's happened!"

"What is it?"

"Homura... he's been killed!"

"What!" Tsunade stood suddenly, slamming her hands on the desk. "He's been killed? By who?"

"My lady, his body was found a few minutes ago in his home. We... we don't know who did it, only that the technique used was both deadly and familiar."

Homura Mitokado was... dead? Killed? Tsunade found it hard to believe. The Konoha Elder had been around for a long time. He had (along with Koharu Utatane) been one of the Third Hokage's genin team mates, long time councillor and adviser, and in no way a pushover. The man was old, but to be killed in his own home during peace time?

"Send a team to the scene. Also, have his body sent for an autopsy. Find out what killed him."

"Right away, my lady."

Shizune nodded and started for the door, but was interrupted.

"Wait! Also, take these to the laboratory. They are top priority." She passed the scroll and vial of soil into her assistant's hands. Shizune, flustered, grabbed the items.

"Lady Tsunade, what will you do?"

"I need to find Koharu."

"Of course, my lady." Shizune left quickly. Tsunade heard her barking out orders.

She slumped back down into her chair, leaning forward, head in hands.

This was not going to be a good day.

* * *

><p>By Monday afternoon, news had spread of Homura Mitokado's death. Officially, it was said to have been of natural causes. The man had been 76 years old. Not incredibly old, but quite the ripe old age for a shinobi. Natural causes was perfectly believable. But still, whispers were heard that there was something more sinister going on, that the man had been <em>murdered<em>.

The talk was not helped by the front page feature on the Konoha Letter that morning. The headline read: _Konoha Elder Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances! Should We Be Scared?_

Those that did not read the Letter (or read it, but did not believe everything in it) had spoken, saying that Lady Tsunade, the dear 5th Hokage, would surely clear everything up at the meeting that had been called.

10 minutes before the start of the meeting, the crowd of shinobi gathered inside the recently constructed Konoha Meeting Hall was completely wired. The air was filled with a buzz of excitement and anticipation. Practically every shinobi was there, from the newest genin to the most experienced jounin, all eagerly awaiting the arrival of their Hokage.

Rumours flew around the crowd about the reason for the last minute meeting. There was the death of Homura, of ourse, but that had been discovered after the meeting was called. It had to be something important, as all the clan heads of Konoha's most prestigious clans were there, even with the short notice.

The gathered shinobi's eyes flickered constantly towards the raised stage at the front of the hall. A row of 8 seats had been set up there, alongside a podium of sorts. The seats were presumably for the Hokage, and her official party.

At 1;55pm, the 5th Hokage arrived, accompanied by her assistant, the Konoha Elder Koharu, and a squad of ANBU. The crowd's chatter died down a little as they watched the small group enter through the doors to the left, climb the stairs on to the stage and make their way towards the seats on the right. The Hokage, Shizune and Koharu sat down, while the ANBU guard remained standing, leaving 5 empty seats. The presence of the guards puzzled some, but they were soon distracted by the arrival of the young Kazekage and his puppeteer brother a minute later.

They were soon joined by a tall blonde woman and a brunette woman with dark glasses, the Suna and Konoha ambassadors respectively, leaving only one seat still empty. The identity of the missing person became the subject of much quiet, heated discussion.

Come 2pm, the seat was still empty. Tsunade glanced over at the sitter-less chair with slight concern before standing. A hush fell over the assembled group as she stood to address them at the podium.

"Good afternoon, shinobi of Konoha. I'm glad to see so many of you here, despite the fact that I only sent the message out yesterday." Tsunade smiled and gestured towards Gaara. "As many of you have noticed -"

"Whoops! Sorry I'm late!"

All heads turned to see the late arrival. The more dramatic/less experienced shinobi let out a few gasps, when they saw the young blond man practically run across the stage to sit in the empty. Tsunade glared at him for announcing his arrival so loudly, and he smiled sheepishly.

The Hokage turned back to face the crowd, who had started whispering again. She cleared her throat, gaining back the attention she had lost with the man's arrival.

"As I was saying… most of you have noticed that the Kazekage of Sunagakure is currently seated behind me. He is here along with small party of Suna shinobi, and will be staying in Konoha for a short while. We all welcome him and his party to Konoha, and will do everything possible to make his trip as comfortable as possible." Tsunade stood down, and the young redhead took her place.

"Thank you, Lady Hokage. Suna greatly appreciates your hospitality and the friendship of Konoha."

After a short, polite, introductory speech, Gaara began to speak about the issue at hand.

"As you know, Suna and Konoha currently have an ambassadorial system, which was set up around two years after the last Shinobi World War in order to foster a mutual friendship and alliance between our two villages. Currently, the ambassadors are Shika Aburame from Konoha and Temari Sabaku from Suna. These two have been living away from their home villages for two years, and have done a great service to both Konoha and Suna. However, the time has come for a new ambassador. Shika Aburame has chosen to step down from her role and return to life in Konoha, thus opening the position to a new representative. To decide on this shinobi, your Hokage, the Konoha Council, and myself, will be meeting to choose suitable candidates. It is a great honour to be chosen, as the individual has to be an exceptionally capable shinobi."

Gaara waited for the excited mumbling amongst the shinobi to die down.

"Once we have narrowed to the top few candidates, the ultimate choice will be the Hokage and myself's. However, any shinobi we choose is able to turn the position down. We understand that not everyone can stand to be away from their home for such long periods of time. However, rest assured, that if you are chosen as ambassador, and accept the position, Suna will welcome you with open arms."

The end of his speech was greeted with polite applause and restless chatter. A tiny smile appeared on his face, much to the surprise of many. He was looking forward to the next part.

"I will now hand over back to your Hokage for the next announcement."

Tsunade stepped back up to the podium, shushing the shinobi with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you, Kazekage. Now, first of all, I have some good news. As you can see, a familiar face has returned to the Leaf Village after extended absence."

Naruto gave a small wave from his seat.

"Naruto Uzumaki, after leaving the village on temporary leave, has chosen to return permanently to Konoha. Of course, that in itself is not particularly interesting or important."

A few people laughed, but were quickly silenced by their friends and peers.

"No, the fact that he is up here behind me is because today, I am officially announcing Naruto Uzumaki's promotion to jounin."

The reaction from the crowd ranged from complete and utter surprise, (wait... he wasn't a jounin already?) to joy, (the boy deserved it so much!) jealousy (he's getting promoted straight from genin to jounin? No way!) and of course, self satisfaction (of course he was. Anyone could see it!).

"This decision has been by myself and the Kazekage. We feel that Naruto Uzumaki's heroic efforts and achievements have easily proven that he deserves it. His immense skill shone through clearly during the Fourth Shinobi World War, so he certainly has the ability to withstand the sudden jump from genin to jounin. Time and time again, Naruto has proven himself against the strongest of foes, with undying belief and perseverance. With such, we promote Naruto Uzumaki, of the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans, to jounin. I would also like to announce that, should I myself choose to retire as Hokage, I recommend Naruto as a candidate for the seat of the 6th Hokage."

The cheers were deafening as Tsunade invited Naruto to stand and say a few words. The blonde looked deliriously happy, and somewhat shocked as he made his way up to the podium.

For a few seconds, he stood there, hands resting on top of the podium, just smiling.

"I... I don't know what to say really! I mean... wow! I knew I was being promoted, but to have Grandma Tsunade –"

"Watch it, Naruto you brat!" Laughter.

"Whoops, I meant, Lady Tsunade! To have Lady Tsunade, the 5th Hokage, one of the strongest people I know... actually announce, totally out of the blue, that I could actually be Hokage? I just... wow." He brought a hand up and pushed his hair back. It had fallen slightly over his face.

Tsunade smiled at the nervous gesture.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you. Thank you so much for this. I know I haven't always been the most reliable, or serious shinobi. I mean, just ask my former team mates!

I know that there are some of you out there that may not think I'm trustworthy... responsible... loyal enough for such a sudden promotion, for a position of power. It's understandable. Hokage used to be my dream because it meant I would be acknowledged. But now... now it's much more than that.

To be Hokage... to be Hokage means that I can look after each and every one of you. It means I can save the village I love, and never have to leave again. As Hokage, I will protect every part of this village, the people of this village, even if it means my life.

So whenever the day comes, that Lady Tsunade passes on the Hat, and it somehow lands on my head, I promise that I will be the best damn Hokage you've ever had!"

More laughter emanated from the crowd. His speech had been so positive, and had been delivered with such enthusiasm (Lee would be proud!), it was impossible not to smile back at him. The crowd was in a state of joy inspired by his words. That was, until someone yelled:

"Oh god, someone get a medic-nin!"

* * *

><p>Naruto frowned in confusion. Gaara had told him 2pm, Monday. Unfortunately, he had neglected to inform Naruto of the <em>location<em> where the meeting was taking place.

As he wandered around, a little bit lost at 1:57pm, he realised that all the shinobi would already be wherever they were meeting, so there was no one he could ask or follow.

Luckily for him, a kindly stall owner took pity on him and gave him directions to the Konoha Meeting Hall, where 'all them ninja types' seemed to be heading earlier.

Naruto sprinted towards the Hall, hoping that he was going the right way, because, oh crap he was already late and Lady Tsunade would kill him, and if she killed him he would never be a jounin and then this whole sprint would have been wasted noooooooo!

As his mind ran frantic thoughts, Naruto's body almost smashed through the hall's double doors.

""Whoops! Sorry I'm late!" he called, before hurrying to the empty chair next to a long coat and sunglass wearing woman he had never met. Tsunade glared at him for a second, but then quickly returned to her speech. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He'd made it.

When Gaara got up to say his piece, he shot the Kazekage a reassuring smile. What he was reassuring him for wasn't clear, but eh. He found himself zoning out as Gaara spoke about diplomacy and ambassadors, and instead thinking about his promotion.

He was, to put it bluntly, really actually quite proud of himself. To say he was ecstatic was an understatement. But there was always that small voice in the back of his mind which didn't necessarily whisper doubts, but did bring up things he didn't want to think about.

_A face, once so perfect, twisted and dark_…

He'd had the dream – no, the nightmare – again last night.

_That laugh… why, how could he laugh?_

Sasuke Uchiha. Even at one of what should have been the happiest moments of his life, that bastard managed to get into his head.

_Black fire, hotter than the sun, burns him…_

A sudden realization hit him. Sasuke… he had died a genin, the lowest ninja class, the weakest.

_Power… so much power…_

The word ironic came to mind. Sasuke had abandoned his village, betrayed his friends, lost his sanity, all for the sake of power. But, because he'd done those things, he'd never been promoted by his village, and died a lowly, 'powerless' genin.

_A sickening snap. Relief. Guilt._

Naruto heard his name being called by Tsunade, shaking him out of his thoughts. She was announcing the promotion, saying all these wonderful things about him. He smiled. It was all so… nice.

"…I recommend Naruto as a candidate for the seat of the 6th Hokage."

Wait... what? 6th... Hokage? All thoughts of Sasuke forgotten, Naruto felt like he'd slipped into dream land. Tsunade offering him the podium, the crowd of shinobi cheering, clapping, calling his name. Not in fear, or disgust... but in acknowledgment and respect.

He stuttered over his first few lines. He hadn't prepared anything. He hadn't thought he'd have to.

"I... I don't know what to say really! I mean... wow! I knew I was being promoted, but to have Grandma Tsunade –"

She told him off and he apologized, while the crowd chuckled along with him. The words had slipped right out of his mouth. After this, he felt much more comfortable, much more able to speak.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you. Thank you so much for this. I know I haven't always been the most reliable, or serious shinobi. I mean, just ask my former team mates!"

He scanned the crowd. He saw Sakura's distinct pink shade of hair. She was in her medic uniform, taking care of a battered looking Lee. Lee caught his eye and flashed him a grin and thumbs up. Sakura looked up and gave a tense, but real smile.

"I know that there are some of you out there that may not think I'm trustworthy... responsible... loyal enough for such a sudden promotion, for a position of power."

Ino and Chouji stood, holding hands, on the left side of the audience, both grinning like mad. Chouji called out something, but Naruto couldn't hear him above the crowd. A little ways away from them he saw Shikamaru yawn and stretch, before giving a spirited cheer. Typical Shikamaru. Probably way too troublesome to give more than one.

"It's understandable. Hokage used to be my dream because it meant I would be acknowledged. But now... now it's much more than that."

Kiba was on the opposite side to the doorway. The brunette was cheering, even though they hadn't been on the best of terms after that dinner. Kiba gave a quick nod when he noticed Naruto looking at him.

Shino and Sai stood near the back, possibly on guard. Neither of them were particularly vocal, but both were clapping and smiling, looking genuinely pleased. That was enough for Naruto.

"To be Hokage... to be Hokage means that I can look after each and every one of you. It means I can save the village I love, and never have to leave again."

Tenten whooped loudly, right in Neji's ear. Neji, giving in, gave a small whoop of his own, before resorting back to polite clapping. Hinata stood next to him, also clapping, a small, strange, smile on her pale face. She caught his gaze and looked away.

"As Hokage, I will protect every part of this village, the people of this village, even if it means my life."

Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei, Yamato-sensei, Iruka-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were all gathered towards the front, along with a lot other jounins. Most of them were clapping, but some had started cheering wildly (surprisingly, Anko Mitarashi was one of these people!).

"So whenever the day comes, that Lady Tsunade passes on the Hat, and it somehow lands on my head, I promise that I will be the best damn Hokage you've ever had!"

The sound was so loud. Naruto wouldn't be surprised if that old man who'd given him the helpful directions could hear it across the village. A dream... a fantastic dream.

"Oh god, someone get a medic-nin!" the voice shattered his dream like illusion. He turned, searching for where it had come from. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone on the ground.

It was Hinata.

Panic seemed to have set into the crowd. Not normal, civilian panic that entailed of running around hysterical, but quiet, 'oh my gosh the heiress of our village's most powerful clan just collapsed', internal panic.

"_...I'm not afraid to die protecting you... Because, I love you!"_

_Time seems to slow... she's running, but she doesn't have a chance._

_It's no use._

_The attack slams into her, pushing her backwards..._

_Nothing but a rag doll. A broken rag doll. _

_She smashes into the ground, and the light, the pale furious light, goes out._

_She's not moving... why isn't she moving?_

_She protected him... and now she's..._

She was crumpled there. Neji crouched next to her. Her father too. Her younger sister kept people away.

This was nothing like his memory. Absolutely nothing like the Invasion.

But the dark blue hair splayed over her face, the unnaturally still form... it threw him back there. He felt the urge to run off the stage, find out just what the hell was going on. A part of him (that little voice0 kept saying: 'this time you'll save her... this time...', while the rest of him knew that there was nothing to be saved, because _she wasn't dead_.

Still... he took a step forward, but then saw Kiba running towards her. He was frantic. Naruto froze. It wasn't his place. She had Kiba, and her family. Was there really any point in going down there?

She'd rather have Kiba with her anyway. He makes her happy.

So he stayed on the stage, forcing himself not to watch the events unfolding.

He missed Neji turning Kiba away, and then looking back up onto the stage.

* * *

><p>He'd arrived at the meeting early, and snagged a spot on the far side, away from the door. From where he stood, he could see everyone that came in, or went out.<p>

Kiba looked around. Pretty much everyone was there. He could see almost all his friends, and their respective families. He'd seen his mother and sister floating around among the crowd. They'd probably gone over to where all the jounin seemed to have gathered.

The atmosphere in the room was buzzy. No one was usually this pumped up for shinobi meetings. The Hokage had to be announcing something interesting. Even the clan heads were here! His mother... the Ino-Shika-Cho combo... Shibi Aburame... but not Hiashi Hyuuga.

There they were. He saw the Hyuuga elders file through the door, giving off an air as distant and cold as ever. Behind them, he saw her, and gave a small frown.

Flanked by her cousin on one side, and her father on the other, Hinata was moving slowly. Her sister and Tenten walked behind them. it reminded him of some sort of honour guard... or protection squad. It was... weird.

The little he could see of her face unnerved him. Did she look... paler than usual? Slightly more fragile?

Her cousin turned and said something to her. She gave a small nod, barely noticeable, and the group weaved their way through to the back of the room. The crowd parted for them effortlessly.

Kiba watched the group intently. Something was off about Hinata. Just... off.

* * *

><p>"Hinata... are you sure you can be here?" Neji spoke quietly. His cousin gave a tiny nod. Hiashi steered the group towards the back of the room, where they would not be seen so easily.<p>

Neji turned his head and shared a concerned look with Tenten. Hinata was clearly not okay. She hadn't slept or eaten in the last two days, and had locked herself in her room. This was... most unsettling. When Hiashi had heard, he had been noticeably concerned, and asked for Hinata to stay home, but Hinata herself had put on a brave face and insisted she go to the meeting. The Hyuuga elders had agreed with her. The general consensus among them had been 'it would not be well for the clan's heiress to not be present at this meeting.'

So there she was, practically surrounded by her family. A presence, but a practically unseen one.

* * *

><p>The meeting had started, and Kiba tore his attention away from the Hyuugas.<p>

Gaara's arrival... new ambassador... he half-listened to the news, every so often looking back in the direction of Hinata.

Wait? What was that? Naruto was walking... Hokage?

Kiba found himself cheering as the happy blonde stammered his way through his first few lines, than seemed to gain confidence. How could he not be happy for his friend?

He saw Naruto glance over at him and nodded. Hey, he might be happy for the guy, but, still...

"So whenever the day comes, that Lady Tsunade passes on the Hat, and it somehow lands on my head, I promise that I will be the best damn Hokage you've ever had!"

'Always ending on a positive, right Naruto?' thought Kiba as the crowd seemed to erupt into even louder cheering (he hadn't thought that was possible...). And then...

"Oh god, someone get a medic-nin!"

* * *

><p><em>Just keep standing. Just keep standing. Just keep standing.<em>

_Now smile. He looks so happy... smile. Move your hands. That's it. Now you're clapping._

_So... happy._

_Just keep standing. Stand, clap, smile. That's all._

_That's all you need to do._

"Lady Hinata?"

_Smile a little brighter. Smile like he does..._

"Cousin? Are you sure you -"

_It doesn't matter if the voices get dimmer._

" - get a medic-nin!"

_As long as you keep standing... it'll be alright._

"Hinata!"

* * *

><p>The crowd parted for him like they had parted for them before. They sensed his urgency. Kiba ran.<p>

No way... no freaking way...

Panic set in. She just... collapsed?

"Hinata!"

How...why?

Neji stood from where he was crouched.

"Kiba."

"Is she okay? What happened? Hinata!"

"She is fine. Please, there's no need for this."

"No need? She just _ collapsed_! Let me see her!"

"Kiba." Hiashi stepped in front of him. "It is nothing. Hinata is fine. She is just a little worn out, and probably should not have left the house after catching cold in the rain yesterday."

"At least le-"

"There is no need for concern Kiba." Hiashi turned, waving him away. Neji continued to stand in front of him, blocking his path. The surrounding crowd, sensing some sort of confrontation, had the tact to not get involved, turning their attention (at least visibly) back to the stage.

Kiba fumed, half angry, half worried, as the Hinata was escorted out of the meeting by Hanabi and Tenten. As they passed him, Tenten mouthed 'don't worry' at him. He gave her a weak smile, but found himself being glared at by Hanabi.

There was no point in fighting. Neji had grabbed his arm to prevent him from following. Kiba, though not the most polite or subtle person on the planet, knew better than to make a scene.

Neji looked up at the stage, grip firm on Kiba's arm.

Kiba noticed the movement.

_Him._

* * *

><p><strong>Full explanation. OK, so basically my laptop crashed and I lost like everything, and I ended up starting this chapter again from scratch. Also, I've just been rather distracted these past few weeks. I'm writing this while waiting for an update during the Hetalia Christmas Event... so that's one reason. The other has been just holiday stuff in general with family etc.<br>This chapter... is only actually around half the chapter. I kind of got to a half way point and realized I'd already hit around 7000 words, and if I continued this chapter would be much too long compared to the other chapters.  
>Still, I hope this is okay. If anyone has questions, please leave me a review and I will try to answer them, since going back I realise that there may be parts of this chapter that are a little strange (or a lot strange... I have personal issues with parts of this chapter 0_o).<br>****I apologize sincerely again! 3**


	16. Approaching A Storm

**AN: Who's the worst author ever? ME! THAT'S RIGHT! YES! I AM ALIVE :O I KNOW I KNOW, UNFORGIVEABLE. I moved house recently and was cut off from internet for a long time... I'm so, so sorry! I'm not going to promise quicker updates, because to be honest, I'm back at school now and aaaaaaagah! I don't know when I'll get time :/ BUT THIS STORY WILL CONTINUE, I PROMISE IT! /already planned out Chapter 17**

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE. IT NEVER WAS**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen - Approaching A Storm<strong>

_I can feel it coming__  
><em>_In the air tonight, oh lord__  
><em>_I've been waiting for this moment__  
><em>_For all my life, oh lord__  
><em>**- Phil Collins**

* * *

><p>It took Tsunade a few moments after Hinata's departure to calm the crowd down, and even then the whispering could not be stopped among some of the younger genin. Parents and jounin instructors rushed to shush the young shinobi, noting the frustrated look on the Hokage's face.<p>

Clearing her throat, Tsunade waited for almost complete silence. Shizune (who had spoken with Hiashi Hyuuga moments before) had informed her that Hinata Hyuuga was fine. Merely a little ill, and tired, according to her father. Tsunade felt a little doubt niggling in the back of her brain, but for the moment, there were more pressing matters to be announced. The girl was a strong shinobi, and in no immediate danger.

"Thank you for keeping calm. We apologise for the interruption." Tsunade cleared her throat. "The shinobi who has been escorted out is now in the care of medic-nin, and rest assured, they will be fine."

A few murmurs here and there, but no sudden flare up of chatter. Tsunade grimaced. She really didn't want to say what she had to say next.

"Now... for a different announcement. As many of you now know, there has been a death in Konoha. It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Homura Mitokado, one of Konoha's elders. Homura passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning. His cause of death is currently unknown, however we would like to advise you all not to panic, or to be concerned."

The reactions to this news were varied. Some seemed honestly shocked, though many others responded with a quiet 'I thought so' gasp. Of course, thought Tsunade. That damn tabloid had somehow managed to get a hold of the circumstances surrounding Homura's death. Tsunade made a note to have the Letter monitored as she called for Koharu Utatane to speak.

The air in the meeting room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature as the other elder spoke. Homura Mitokade... to the village it seemed like the elder and his partner would live forever. He'd been one of the Third Hokage's team mates... trained by the First and Second Hokages... now he was gone.

There was a long moment of silence to honour him, and then Tsunade stepped up to speak again.

"Homura Mitokade. The Leaf Village will always remember and honour your name."

She nodded at Koharu, who sat down quietly.

"Shinobi of the Leaf." Tsunade started. She honestly had no idea how to go into this. "There has been another death."

The general consensus from the crowd was 'wait, what?'. Tsunade decided to just go for it. No point fluffing around the topic, was there?

"Sasuke Uchiha, formerly of the Leaf Village, is dead."

Tsunade decided to end the meeting there, while the mass of ninja's was processing the information. There would be no moment of silence or memorial for Sasuke.

Any mourning for him would be done in alone in private, and that was if anyone felt the need to mourn him.

"Thank you all for coming today. The last notice is for the Village Council to come to Councillor's Meeting Room immediately. Everyone else is free to go."

* * *

><p>"Well that was... brief." said Ino to Sakura, who had come over after Gai had wheeled Lee back to hospital in his wheelchair. She glanced over at Chouji, who was talking to Shikamaru a little way away. She glared at the shadow user, before turning back to Sakura.<p>

"The Hokage just kind of announced it and ended the meeting. No time to absorb the news or anything." Ino shrugged. "What'd you think Sakura?"

No reply.

"Sakura? Hello?" Ino waved her hand in front of her friends face. Sakura shook her head ad turned back towards Ino.

"Sorry. What did you say Ino?"

"Nothing. It was nothing." Ino rolled her eyes. "What are you looking at anyway?"

Ino looked towards the direction that Sakura had been so focused on.

"I don't see what's so interesting abou – Whoa!"

Ino fell to the ground with a thump.

"Ino! You okay?" Sakura stooped down to help her friend up.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" cried an apologetic voice.

"It's fine." said Ino with a smile, brushing it off lightly.

"No seriously, here, let me help you up." The person who had bumped into Ino crouched down to help.

Blue eyes locked with teal and the smiles on the two blondes' faces disappeared, replaced with icy glares.

Sakura bit her lip as Ino and Temari stood up in silence. She really didn't want to get caught up in their fight.

It was the first time they'd encountered one another after the incident at Natsuki's. Sakura was worried. Ino had reacted very, very badly to the news of the incident. How badly would she react to the person who she claimed 'had totally started it!'

To her pleasant surprise, Temari turned and walked away quickly, without saying a word to INo.

Sakura sighed. It seemed like no-one was going to cause a sc-

"Ugh, I totally bet she did that on purpose." remarked Ino rather loudly. Sakura sighed, this time not out of relief.

"What did you just say?"

Temari whipped around, eyebrows raised.

"I said, you did that on purpose." replied Ino, folding her arms.

"Why the hell would I do that on purpose?" Temari retorted, taking a step forward. "I even offered to help you up."

Sakura found herself relieved that almost everyone had left the meeting hall. She had a feeling that this was not going to end well.

"I wouldn't put it past you." Ino shrugged, narrowing her eyes.

By this time, Shikamaru and Chouji had noticed and were making their way toward the group of girls.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" snapped Temari as the two reached them. Shikamaru stepped next to Temari, calmly putting a hand on Temari's arm, which was in the process of reaching for the fan she carried around all the time.

"Ino!" said Chouji, concerned about his girlfriend. "What's going on?"

Shikamaru didn't say anything, just glanced at Temari.

"Nothing's going on. Absolutely nothing."

All of a sudden, Ino seemed eerily calm. Sakura and Chouji exchanged a confused look, while Shikamaru managed to look bored.

Ino smiled, almost sickly sweet.

"The sand slut just can't control her temp-"

"Did you just call me a slut?"

Silence filled the now largely empty room.

Chouji gulped. He turned his head back towards Ino, who was smiling in an almost... scary way.

"It's only the truth, isn't it?"

"THAT. IS. IT."

Temari set to launch herself at Ino, but Shikamaru's jutsu managed to catch her in time.

"Let go of me now, Shikamaru." Temari said quietly, voice on edge.

Shikamaru shook his head. Temari scowled, but then took a deep breath, calming herself down.

"That's right Temari. Just let Shikamaru hold you back." mocked Ino, flipping her fringe back from her face lightly.

"Ino..." said Chouji, putting his hand 'comfortingly' on her arm. "Come one Ino, let's just go."

"No."

All heads turned back to Temari, who was still frozen awkwardly in position. Temari's face had become unreadable, teal eyes hard and narrowed.

"What, exactly, is your problem Ino?" she asked simply. Ino raised a perfect eyebrow.

"My problem?"

"Your problem. With me."

"My problem with you... that's quite the broad question isn't it?"

"Just answer the question blondie. I don't have time for this."

Ino's mock-smile faltered for just a fraction of a second, before her blue eyes became icy and her lips curved into an angry, bitter grimace.

Sakura almost gulped. She'd never _actually_ seen Ino so... intense before. The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees, and the feeling was electric, the calm before an approaching storm.

"You don't have time for this? Really Temari? Don't tell me, you have important, diplomatic things to do, don't you?" Ino paused for a second, seemingly preparing herself.

"Ino..."

"No Chouji, don't interrupt me. Not now."

Taking a step forward towards Temari, Ino continued.

"Temari Sabaku. You think you're oh so important don't you? You'll do absolutely anything to get what you want! You're the Kazekage's sister though... you've never had to work for your position! You just waltzed into Konoha with your little brother backing you and bam! Instant high ranking position, instant social life, instant boyfriend. Who care whose life you had to trample over to get it! You're freaking Temari Sabaku, princess of the Sand Village-

"Ino! Stop it!"

"- Shut up Sakura! Don't stop me!" Ino's voice was surprisingly controlled.

"So my problem with you? It's nothing personal, just that you're a slutty, bitchy, pampered princess who just flounced in from your Sand Kingdom and expected everyone to bow down to you and give you _exactly_ what you wanted! I just cannot believe how easily everyone fell for your fucking act. I think you're a-"

"What the hell is going on here?"

The new arrival's voice stunned Ino into silence. Naruto stood, a little confused looking, arms crossed.

"Naruto! Nice of you to join us!" Ino's voice had changed rapidly, becoming its usual cheery tone. "I was right in the middle of telling that... slag-"

"That's enough Ino."

All eyes turned to Shikamaru, who, until then, had not spoken a word.

"Whoops, sorry _Shikamaru-_"

Ino's voice dripped with venom on the three syllables

"- Are you getting tired of me-"

"Shut the fuck up, for once in your life."

It was a dangerous tone of voice that they'd only heard Shikamaru speak in once or twice, always in the middle of battle, always when he was incredibly angry. A carefully composed, but obviously furious tone.

Ino, recognising the tone, stopped talking.

"Temari hasn't actively done anything to you. Nobody, absolutely nobody, in the village understands why you insist on being so damn immature about this. Since she arrived in Konoha, she's avoided any sort of conflict with you except for that stupid night when we all got completely drunk. Just leave her alone. Leave us alone."

Shikamaru's eyes were narrowed dangerously. He released the jutsu holding Temari and started to walk away. Temari didn't follow immediately, still enraged and somewhat surprised at the words flying between Shikamaru and Ino.

For a moment, Ino looked down, seemingly taking in his words. When she looked up, her face was oddly blank.

"I see." she said quietly, to the surprise of those around her.

She turned towards the other blond, apologetic look on her face.

"Temari, I'm sorry for the names I've called you, and for my general hostility. But I've realised now, that I'm not angry at you."

Temari responded with complete and utter shock. Sakura and Chouji let out simultaneously held breaths.

Maybe the feud w-

"It's you I'm mad at."

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at the new target of Ino's anger.

* * *

><p>"Homura Mitokade did not die of natural causes."<p>

"Well there's a surprise!" Tsume Inuzuka snorted, and raised an eyebrow at the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed. This particular group of people... of course they would suspect something unusual about the Elder's death.

The Shinobi Council (formed during the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War) was a group of Konoha leaders who gave advice to the Hokage and ran the village. It consisted of most of Konoha's leading clan heads, and a few select others, like Kakashi Hatake and Shizune. Those on the council were all incredibly skilled shinobi, willing to protect Konoha at all costs.

At the current moment, every member of the council was present, with the addition of Gaara.

"How did he die?" asked Inoichi Yamanaka calmly.

"Homura was murdered. The cause of death... Shizune?"

Shizune cleared her throat and gestured at an incident report, and an autopsy report in front of her.

"There was a single wound, puncturing straight through his chest, and almost destroying his heart. There were burn marks around the wound, and clear signs of chakra having been used. He was found slumped in his apartment, which showed clear signs of a struggle."

"The circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body are vital, however I am curious to know what actually killed the man." Hiashi Hyuuga remarked, in an almost casual way.

"Isn't it obvious?"

That was Kakashi. Tsunade winced at his harsh tone.

"Burn marks around the wound. Use of chakra. A clear, killing wound straight through the heart. Not to mention the fact that there was a report from a passing civilian, heading home from a drink, of a blue light and loud, crackling noises coming from Homura's apartment around the same time he died. It was Chidori."

The man's one visible eye was cold and unfeeling. Many of the other council members found themselves worrying a little about the infamous Copy-Nin. Since Naruto Uzumaki had arrived back in the village, the man had been even less social, and even more isolated than he had been the last few years (which was saying _a lot)_.

"What of Koharu? I assume she's been placed under protection?"

It was Shikaku Nara asking this time.

"Of course. Two ANBU teams will be watching her around the clock, and the elder has been moved to a more secure location."

"It must be hard for her... losing both her team mates under such tragic circumstances." Chouza Akimichi shook his head sadly. Inoichi patted him on the back.

"Of course..." The room fell into a solemn silence as the contemplated the losses that ninja villages experienced.

"Ahem."

Gaara cleared his throat softly, recapturing the attention of the ninja in the room.

"Yes Gaara?"

"Tsunade, I believe you mentioned earlier that there was some rather... disturbing news?"

"Ah. Yes." Tsunade glanced down at the table in front of her. A stack of mission reports from Yamato's ANBU team and lab reports stared back up at her.

"As you all know, we recently sent a team out to the location of Sasuke Uchiha's grave."

"Ah Sasuke... that boy's flames of youth were blowing in the wrong direction..."

"Now's not the time Gai." Kurenai shastised him gently.

"I'm afraid you will all need to see this." Tsunade ignored the interruption and Shizune passed out the papers in front of Tsunade.

It took a few moments for the ninjas in the room to read the documents. Tsunade waited. She was feeling uneasy.

Finally, someone spoke.

"Tetrodotoxin?" asked Gaara. He hadn't heard of it before, as chemicals and poisons weren't really his thing.

"It's a neurotoxin, commonly found in blowfish, blue ringed octopi and some other animals." answered Chouza helpfully.

"But why exactly was it found in Sasuke's 'grave'?" asked Inoichi, eyebrows raised.

"More importantly, why wasn't Sasuke found in Sasuke's grave?" Shikaku drawled.

"Uzumaki wasn't lying about the location was he?" growled Ibiki Morino. "We subjected him to every single lie detecting jutsu and method. He came up clean. I'm 100% sure that he saw Uchiha's dead body."

"If Ibiki says that Naruto's not lying, than Naruto is definitely not lying." agreed Kurenai. "But..."

"Tetrodotoxin, like Chouza said, is a neurotoxin. Specifically, one that binds to nerve cell membranes and prevents nerves from firing. One symptom of tetrodotoxin poisoning is paralysis. Effectively, tetrodotoxin can put one into a coma, closely resembling death."

"So you think..." Kurenai's voice trailed off. She looked at the Hokage uncertainly.

"Tetrodotoxin is incredibly potent and deadly. Even if Sasuke had used it, he should be dead." Tsunade bit her lip. "But there's room for doubt. We have no idea what Sasuke had been up to for the last four years. What with his knowledge of Orochimaru's old bases, he could have easily obtained some strange jutsu allowing him to survive, or even medical knowledge from Kabuto's old notes."

"The summoning seal found near the location of the crime... it was for a hawk, correct?"

"Yes Hiashi. Quite a large one too."

"I see. Wasn't the summon of Sasuke Uchiha a hawk?

"It was." Shibi Aburame answered this time. "But why was it there, you may ask? He summoned a hawk to escape, fleeing the scene of his 'death'. At least, that is a logical hypothesis."

"The tetrodotoxin and the missing body. The Hawk Summon. The Hawk cry heard by many on Saturday night, followed by the murder of Homura Mitokade using Chidori. All of this points to Sasuke Uchiha, whom, to our knowledge, is dead." Shikaku analysed the situation.

"That, Shikaku, is exactly our problem. Everyone believes Sasuke to be dead. In fact, all of this... it's circumstantial evidence. Well, maybe not the Chidori, but even then... Even if he is alive, what do we do?"

The room fell silent again as they pondered the situation.

* * *

><p><strong>Actually, this chapter was incredibly hard to write for me. It felt really forced to me :  
>I'm so sorry for the shortness, especially after the last chapter, but I felt like I've kept you all waiting for too long ("^_^)<br>Quick note! I've changed my name (you may have noticed :D)**


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